Dear Karin,
Sawn off antler tines are often used in an early medieval context for
pottery decoration. One mostly finds the antler tine with a (naturally)
polished tip, as a halfproduct. When used for decoration the tip will be
sawn off to produce a small polygon or circle, and further incised to
produce a geometrical pattern. This is pressed in the wet clay of the
pot (mostly on the shoulder or body), repeatedly along lines, resulting
in the characteristic decoration of early medieval ceramics. Strangely
enough, the half-finished antler pieces are much more commonly found
than the finished artefacts.
We once described this process in the study of an antler collection from
Maastricht (the Netherlands):
DIJKMAN, W. & ERVYNCK, A. (1998a). Antler, bone, horn, ivory and teeth.
The use of animal skeletal materials in roman and early medieval
Maastricht. Archaeologica Mosana I. Maastricht, 91 pp.
The booklet can be purchased from Wim Dijkman:
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all the best,
Anton Ervynck
onderzoeker natuurwetenschappen
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+32 2 553 1830
Vlaams Instituut voor het Onroerend Erfgoed
Flemish Heritage Institute
Koning Albert II-laan 19 bus 5
1210 Brussel
Belgium
http://www.vioe.be
-----Oorspronkelijk bericht-----
Van: Analysis of animal remains from archaeological sites
[mailto:[log in to unmask]] Namens Karin Svensson
Verzonden: donderdag 15 januari 2009 17:17
Aan: [log in to unmask]
Onderwerp: Re: [ZOOARCH] antler tine pressure flakers?
Hello again,
Alright, so the polishing might be a natural cause of rubbing the
antlers against trees. But (which I forgot to write in my previous
e-mail) the tines are sawn or chopped off at the base, which leads me to
believe that they were used for something.
My alternative theory would be that they are simply waste from antler
handicraft. However, I have not found anything alse suggesting antler
handicraft on the site.
Thanks,
Karin
Quoting Douglas Campana <[log in to unmask]>:
> You will often see polish at the tips of deer antlers that is not a
> result of their use as tools. It can result from deer rubbing their
> antlers against trees. Pam Crabtree
> ----- Original Message ----- From: "Karin Svensson" <[log in to unmask]>
> To: <[log in to unmask]>
> Sent: Thursday, January 15, 2009 11:00 AM
> Subject: [ZOOARCH] antler tine pressure flakers?
>
>
>> Dear all,
>>
>> I am currently analysing an animal bone assemblage from a site in
>> Ireland and I have come across a number of antler tines which are
>> slightly polished at the ends. I understand that anter tines were
>> sometimes used as pressure flakers for flint knapping, but I have
>> not been able to find any articles referencing this. Does anybody
>> have any suggestions on articles?
>>
>> Also, I wonder at what time periods these tools were used. The site
>> in question ranges from Bronze Age to post-medieval periods,
>> although the main phase of activity was during the early medieval
>> period (I am certain at least some of the tines are from the
>> latter).
>>
>> I would be greatful for any suggestions!
>>
>> Regards,
>>
>>
>> Karin Svensson
>> Osteologist
Karin Svensson
Osteologist
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