Good question, I don't know. The two specimens from Iron Age Kadesh Barnea/Tell el Qudeirat come - one from a fill, another without context at all, and they are broken, not worked.

I'd be very interested to find out more.

On Jan 25, 2011, at 6:20 PM, Salima Ikram wrote:

What all are cuttlebones used for? I have a vague memory of jewellery making....

On 25 Jan 2011, at 11:28, Matt Law wrote:

Dear Bendeguz,

Cuttlebones aren't all that commonly found, but they do survive archaeologically, for example at Akrotiri-Aetokremnos on Cyprus. I'm afraid I don't have a copy of that report, but you can read the abstract here: http://triton.anu.edu.au/issue_11.htm. Fragments of cuttlebone were also reported at Balakot, Pakistan - you can read that report here http://www.persee.fr/web/revues/home/prescript/article/paleo_0153-9345_2005_num_31_1_4787

There was a short article about cephalopods and archaeology in Circaea in 1996 by David Smart, which may be read online here http://www.envarch.net/publications/circaea/12.2/12-2-smart.pdf

I'm afraid I don't have a copy to hand to check, but I would expect there to be something on the subject in Ken Thomas and Marcello Mannino's contribution to D R Brothwell and A M Pollard's (2001) Handbook of Archaeological Science (pp427-441).

Offhand I don't know of any cuttlebone moulds that have been recovered. I'd be interested in hearing of any reports .

I hope that's some help

Matt

Salima Ikram

Professor of Egyptology

American University in Cairo

P. O. Box 74, Road 90, Tagammu 5

New Cairo 11825, EGYPT

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