Ian,
The holes in metapodials have variously been interpreted as used to extract fat/marrow (after heating) or as handles. I had a perforated metapodial with a hole in the top and the distal end chopped off as a light pull cord for a while and it was just the right size for a hande.
The other examples are a little stranger, do they show any wear/polish and have the ends been chopped off or shaped in anyway? Some look like they should be threaded with cord.
One of the biggest collection of pierced bones I looked at were from Fiskerton, there were 55 gouges/'spearheads', the working was reported upon by Sandra Olsen. Many were sheep tibia shaped into a point at one end. There are some splendid pictures in the report - Fiskerton: An Iron Age Timber Causeway with Iron Age and Roman Votive Offerings. Edited by N. Field and M. Parker Pearson. Oxbow Books, Oxford. This may be of help. I have seen perforated humerii - but can't remember where.....
Jacqui Mulville,
Senior Lecturer in Bioarchaeology,
Examinations Officer
School of History and Archaeology
Cardiff University
Humanities Building
Colum Drive
Cardiff
CF10 3EU
http://www.cardiff.ac.uk/hisar/people/archaeology/jm1/
Tel: + 44 (0) 29 2087 4247
Fax: + 44 (0) 29 2087 4929
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