Dear zooarchers,
I currently work on a Late Prehistoric site in Montana which has yielded a quite peculiar bone, a bison metapodial that has been sawed all around the distal shaft before being broken. I had thought for a while it was a rather funny way to access the bone marrow. I had the chance to discuss with colleagues at the ICAZ who have seen similar specimens, particularly on guanaco metapodials in Patagonia. Their interpretation of such specimens was that the goal of the action of sawing-breaking is to obtain a clean, straight edge for a cylinder that may be used as a pounding or digging implement. In the case of my specimen, that goal would not have been attained because the break pattern did not follow the saw line.
I am sending this email because I am curious if some of you have encountered such specimens on prehistoric sites, and, if so, what interpretation they gave of it.
Photos:
http://zooarchaeology.ning.com/photo/img-4902?context=user
http://zooarchaeology.ning.com/photo/img-4903?context=user
Thanks,
Francois
|