Lucretia
I find the specimen remarkable, having never seen anything like it.
Thinking aloud, one can assume the distorting effect could only be
achieved in a bone that had a high collagen to mineral ratio.
If that assumption is correct, then two explanations can be considered.
1. The bone is from a fetus or neonate, where mineralization of the bone
is low. Perhaps cooking distorted the bone, but then one would have to
ask why such cases are not more common.
2. A more mature bone was partially demineralized with dilute nitric
acid. If totally demineralized then it would have perished in the ground.
It would be good if you ultimately gave us a summary of suggestions that
come to you off list.
Richard Wright
On 2/06/2012 03:21, Lucretia S. Kelly, Ph.D. wrote:
> Dear ZOOARCH members,
>
> I have a type of modified bone from an historic site (mid 1800s) in
> Southern Illinois, USA that I have never seen before and wonder if anyone
> has seen something like this. It is a mammal bone (possible pig since the
> site has many pig bones) that has been cut lengthwise and on the ends,
> then rolled or folded over on itself. I would like to know how this could
> be accomplished and what type of artifact this may have been. I have
> uploaded pictures to ZooBook:
> http://zooarchaeology.ning.com/photo/photo/listForContributor?screenName=36a31yu12ezfl.
> Thanks much.
>
>
> Lucretia S. Kelly, Ph.D.
> Research Associate
> Dept. of Anthropology
> Washington University-St. Louis
> [log in to unmask]
> cell phone: 618-550-9312
> home phone: 618-281-5369
>
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