Antler Artefacts Research Articles

Continuous 300,000-year fossil record: changes in the ornithofauna of Biśnik Cave, Poland

Biśnik Cave is situated in a limestone rock about 50 km northeast of Krakow, southern Poland. Its importance stems from the fact that it is one of the few sites in Europe, and the only one in Poland, with 300,000-year-long sequence of uninterrupted sediments, that cover the time span from before the Saalian to the Holocene. The excavations yielded about 200,000 animal bones and more than 4,000 stone, bone and antler artifacts. Bird remains from Biśnik Cave consist of nearly 1,600 skeletal fragments of at least 96 taxa that represent a minimum of 285 individuals. The majority of the remains belong to Galliformes; relatively numerous are also Corvidae, Falconiformes, Anseriformes and the genus Turdus. The remains include one extinct taxon (Falco tinnunculus atavus) and four species new for the Polish fossil avifauna (Aquila heliaca, Pinicola enucleator, Loxia pytyopsittacus and Carduelis flammea). Avian remains indicate a mosaic of various habitats in the surroundings of Biśnik Cave. Some kind of mature forest or at least sparsely growing trees, as well as water bodies, marshes, wet meadows, steppe and tundra habitats must have been present during the entire time of sedimentation. It is postulated that the Krakow-Czestochowa Upland was a local refugium for the forest fauna during the Saalian and Vistulian glaciations.

Bone and antler artefacts dated from Early Neolithic discovered recently in South-Western Transylvania,Romania

The article presents an Early Neolithic assemblage made of 11 artefacts of bone and antler discovered recently in South-Western Transylvania, Hunedoara and Alba Counties. The osseous materials artefacts were discovered at Lunca Târnavei-“ Valley” during a periegesis and at Şoimuş/“ Pe Teleci”/“ Teleghi” where due to the extent of the Deva-Orăştie Motorway, more than 500 m of the site were excavated. The Western part of the site was researched by a team from Museum of Dacian and Roman Civilisation of Deva (Cătălin Rişcuţa, Ioan Alexandru Bărbat and Antoniu Marc) ; the artefacts analysed in this article were discovered in this sector. Even if they are only few (N = 13), the pieces are both ordinary and rare or even unique ones. The typology comprises ordinary pieces like : points made of fragments of long bones or scrapers made of ribs. The rare pieces are : red deer antler sleeve, the blank of bone spoon and the fragment of red deer skull cap. Artefacts discovered at Şoimuş can be dated from Starčevo-Criş IC-IIIB.

A kései középső paleolitikum csontipara a Kárpát-medencében

A 20. szazad első evtizedeben megindult tudomanyos igenyű barlangkutatas szamos kulcsfontossagu lelőhelyunk reszleges vagy teljes feltarasat eredmenyezte. Az asatasi modszerek, a dokumentacio hianyossagai vagy hianya, a leletek barlangon beluli es lelőhelyek kozotti keveredese olyan elmeletek megfogalmazasahoz vezetett, amelyeket ujra kell ertelmezni, es ha szukseges, modositani kell. A szerző negy barlang (Palffy/Dzerava skala, Jankovich, Bivak, Pilisszanto II) dokumentaciojanak, retegsoranak reviziojaval megkiserli tisztazni az előkerulesi korulmenyeket, a csonttargyak tipologiai es morfologiai vizsgalataval a mai terminologianak megfelelő kulturakba besorolni ezeket az eszkozoket. | In this study we discussed three old-excavated assemblages, containing Jankovichian, i.e. Middle Palaeolithic type leaf-shaped tools on one hand and well made typical antler and ivory tools on the other. The Jankovich and the Bivak cave and the Pilisszanto II rockshelter (which yielded pseudo-artefacts and long bone fragments with cutmarks; Fig. 10.6–7 and Fig. 10.4–5) are lying in the NE part of the Transdanubia, the Palffy cave (Dzerava skala) in the Little Carpathians, Western Slovakia. The examinations of the lithic and osseous artefacts, deposited in the Palaeolithic collection of the Hungarian National Museum, and the bibliographical works focusing to the stratigraphical data yielded the following conclusions. The wedge shaped antler and ivory tools (Figs 6.2, 8.1, 9) and probably the ivory rod and lamellas (Figs 4, 5.1–3) from the Jankovich cave, finally the antler tools from the Palffy (Dzerava skala) cave (Fig. 1.2) can certainly be linked to the Middle Palaeolithic type leaf-shaped (Jankovichian) industry: the lithics and the osseous artefacts were excavated in one and the same level. The fragments of antler tools, found in the Bivak cave (Fig. 10.1–2) can most probably belong to the same circle. The antler tools with circular cross section from the Jankovich (Figs 2, 5.4) and Dzerava skala caves were generally placed into the same stratigraphical position in the excavation reports. However, the different colour and the state of preservation of these tools calls for certain reserve, so actually we can say only, that these tools may belong to the Jankovichian assemblage too. Unfortunately the cultural and stratigraphical position of the split base point from the Palffy cave (Fig.1.1) can not clarify for the time being. We have to stress at this point, that the industries of the lower layer of the Istallos-kő cave or side corridor of the Szeleta cave, where similar antler artefacts were also found, lack the typical Aurignacian stone tools. The presence of discrete culture layers of the Aurignacian and leaf-shaped industry in each caves, often supposed in the technical literature, simply cannot be exhibited from the incomplete field documentations. According to our opinion, the small surface excavations, carried out in the 2000s in the Dzerava skala cave, exposing certainly disturbed and mixed layer sequence, does not contradict to our observations. Generally, the absence of the typical Aurignacian lithics is the most notable feature of the studied sites; the artefacts, sorted into the “Late Aurignacian”, fifties are classified today as Gravettian. The study of the surface of the osseous tools does not display any traces of redeposition or cryoturbation with the exception of the pseudo tools from the Pilisszanto II rockshelter. On the contrary: the clearly visible traces of manufacture and use s uggest, that these artefacts were excavated in a largely undisturbed position. Shortly: according to our actual working hypothesis, the “Upper Palaeolithic type” osseous tools and the “Middle Palaeolithic” lithic assemblage belong to the same entity in the case of the studied cave sites. Our results may shed new lights and may pose new questions concerning the cultural determination of e.g. the Istallos-kő cave (especially concerning the lower layer) or the Vindija cave (especially the layer G1).

MATERIAL, TECHNOLOGY AND MEANING: ANTLER ARTEFACTS AND ANTLER WORKING ON THE EASTERN SHORE OF THE BALTIC SEA IN THE LATE BRONZE AGE

The paper deals with antler working and antler artefacts in the Late Bronze Age fortified settlements on the eastern shore of the Baltic Sea. The reasons behind the ancient craftsmen’s choice of material may be functional, economical or depend on cultural traditions. Concerning skeletal materials artefacts were usually made from the bones of the species occurring also among faunal remains. Functional choice depends on the suitability of a bone for an artefact. At the same time, traditions could exist concerning the suitability of certain skeletal element for making a certain tool or artefact. Antler could be preferred as a material for making artefacts because of its dimensions and properties. Antler is tougher and more elastic than bone, therefore it was preferred to bone especially for artefacts or details requiring greater toughness. In the paper an overview of antler working technologies and antler artefacts most typical for the Late Bonze Age fortified settlements in the eastern Baltic region is given. Antler artefacts and traces of antler working in the Late Bronze Age fortified settlements are compared with other contemporaneous sites – open settlements and stone graves, and also with the use of antler in the long run, from the Neolithic until the Viking Age.

The Mesolithic bone industry from Kula, eastern Serbia

The Iron Gates area (Serbia and Romania) is well known for its extraordinary Mesolithic finds, first discovered almost fifty years ago, which initiated still ongoing debate on the relations between foragers and farmers and the very origin of Neolithic communities in this region. The questions regarding relative and absolute chronology and social relations have received the most attention, while some aspects of the material culture are still not analysed in detail, especially when it comes to the sites on the right (Serbian) bank of the Danube. Most sites are situated in the Upper and Lower Gorge, and the only site with an excavated Mesolithic sequence downstream from the Gorge is Kula near Mihajlovac. In this paper a small collection of about fifty bone and antler artefacts from Kula is analysed. This is the first analysis of the material from the right bank of Danube to be focused on the bone industry only. The analysis incorporates the questions of raw material choice, technique of manufacture and typol...

MULTIANALYTICAL STUDY OF PALAEOLITHIC REINDEER ANTLER. DISCOVERY OF ANTLER TRACES IN LASCAUX PIGMENTS BY TEM*

Palaeolithic and modern reindeer antler were analysed using complementary techniques to evaluate the conservation state of bone material. X‐ray diffraction, FT‐IR spectroscopy, scanning electron microscopy (SEM–EDX) and transmission electron microscopy (TEM–EDX) as well as proton induced X‐ray and γ‐ray emission (PIXE–PIGE) at the particle accelerator AGLAE, C2RMF were applied. This study enabled us to define the chemical and structural features of ancient antler at the micro‐ and nanometre scale and compare them to those of other bone materials such as bone and ivory. Antler is richer in its organic fraction compared to bone and ivory. Its mineral fraction, carbonated hydroxylapatite, shows very specific crystal shapes at the nanometre scale. This specific property allowed us to recognize antler traces in pigment samples originating from rock art paintings in the Lascaux cave, Dordogne, southwestern France, Magdalenian period. Therefore, TEM–EDX is the technique of choice for characterizing antler traces in complex mixtures. In the paint material of Lascaux, antler seems most likely to be a pollutant introduced either by stirring the pigments in water with a piece of antler or by carving antler artefacts next to the preparation of paint material. However, it could eventually be used as a marker of paintings that were created contemporaneously.

Défense et illustration du Néolithique récent du Languedoc central, plus particulièrement de celui de la région Saint-Pons-Lodève

The Late Neolithic in central Languedoc (the "Saintponien" in particular) has until now mostly been identified with reserve, confused with diachronic fades and situated indistinctly in the chronological synopsis of the Languedocian Neolithic. However, this Neolithic is quite specific. It has a plentiful lithic industry, with an asymmetrical arrowhead which is the main diagnostic artefact, and a rich bone and antler industry, in a regional environment where lithic and bone industries are sometimes lacking. Some antler artefacts could be interpreted as the "objects " depicted on the statue-menhirs, since nothing prevents the latter being attributed, at least in part, to this group. Without metal, the group is well- defined chronologically (around the second half of the 4th millennium ВС), stratigraphically situated between the Chassey and Véraza cultures. We wish to point out that the "Saintponien " has a typical, good-quality pottery, which has not been studied in this article because it is currently the subject of a thesis.

Upper Paleolithic Transitions: Evidence from Organic Artifacts of Cantabrian Spain

Changes in the morphology and patterns of elaboration of bone and antler artifacts are used to elucidate patterns of behavioral change in the Upper Paleolithic in Cantabrian Spain. Results from analyses of the organic artifact industries of Cantabrian industrial complexes indicate that in addition to the major behavioral shift at the Middle to Upper Paleolithic transition, important changes in human behavior began during the Solutrean and were fully established by the Lower Magdalenian. The appearances of these changes were temporally staggered and are clearest when compared to an Early Upper Paleolithic pattern of behavior. This research demonstrates that information about behavioral change can be recovered using an approach that examines artifact attributes that are different from those typically studied for organic artifact industries. Ultimately, this research relates to theories of behavioral transitions and the development of modern human behavior within the Upper Paleolithic.

Ringkloster, en jysk indlandsboplads med Ertebøllekultur

Ringkloster, en jysk indlandsboplads med Ertebøllekultur

DEER SKIN LEATHERS AND THEIR USE FOR FOR COSTUME

This paper is a preliminary study of the use of deer skin leathers in costume in Europe and more especially England. The animals mainly concerned are the fallow and European red deer or American Elk, the European elk or American moose, the roe deer and the Scandinavian, Siberian, Greenland and North Canadian reindeer and the North American reindeer or caribou. From earliest times these have played important, and often dominant, roles in the lives of the peoples sharing their territories. Today this is still so with a few peoples, e.g. the Eskimos and Lapps, and in England the residual forests and numerous parks show traces of the influence of the deer. Because these roles have been so important and have so much bearing upon the supply and use of deer skins, they are briefly discussed. In pre-historic days the bones and antlers of deer were used for tools and implements, the flesh for food and the skins for clothing. Innumerable bone and antler artefacts have been unearthed. Paleolithic cave paintings at Alpera and elsewhere in Spain show the hunting of deer with bows and arrows. The overwhelming importance of reindeer and red deer for meat is shown by examination of the bones found at various paleolithic and early neolithic sites in Germany, .Russia and England.1 If, as these show, deer as a source of meat prevailed over oxen and other animals, they probably also were dominant as a source of skins for clothing. Survival of Stone Age clothing cannot be expected, but a paleolithic cave painting at Trois Freres in the French Pyrenees is said to depict a magician wearing a deer skin during a religious dance: Measurements of certain Bronze Age garments found in Denmark are said to correspond closely with those of a stag's hide.3 In an Early Iron Age grave, from the first millenium B.C., in th~ Bruchmoor bog, Damendorf, Schleswig, a cape, made of four deer .skins, has been found4 and in a peat bog, Kohlmoor, near Osterby, Schl~swig, a human head wrapped in a cape of roe deer skin,'from the first century A.D.s In historic times, and d<;?ubtlessearlier, ownership and control of territory have always been important in the organisation of society and its daily activities. The forests provided fuel and sheltered animals affording food and the sport so important in days of peace. Kings, prelates, nobles and lesser gentry came to be very zealous about their con~ .trol of forests. Various kinds of deer, especially the red and fallow deer, being the chief beasts of venery and chase in England and in many European countries, were the focus about which centred much soci?.1life.The royal passion for deer hunting can be traced from the times of the Saxon and Danish monarchs through to Prince Albert's era. The earliest kings took steps to preserve their game, but it was the Norman rplers who created vast forests here and, with their harsh Forest Laws, established the kind of control the

5 Comparisons, Contrasts, and Conclusions

Before noting traits shared by the Arnipik and Tyara assemblages, a few words of caution and explanation may prove useful. I hope they will remain alive in the reader's mind as he examines the three closely related conclusions presented in this chapter. The three conclusions are, in order, a preliminary conclusion of restricted application, an intermediate conclusion of wider import, and a final conclusion of general consequence to this study. These conclusions' ranges of consequence increase as the discussion expands to encompass broader reaches of evidence and thinking pertinent to the question of Dorset culture origins. First, I have assumed, for previously presented or self-evident reasons, that the Tyara and Arnapik assemblages are pure assemblages, that is, that neither contains artifacts made by peoples of other cultures. Second, since the Arnapik material comprises only stone artifacts, comparison between that site and the bone, antler, and ivory artifacts from Tyara is precluded.

The Kayuk Complex of Arctic Alaska

AbstractApproximately 2400 stone and 77 bone and antler artifacts were obtained by extensive trenching of the Kayuk site, a large area on the banks of Kayuk Creek in Anaktuvuk Pass, Brooks Range, northern Alaska, where several Nunamiut Eskimo families now camp. No stratigraphy was noted and no structural features were encountered, but four fire areas were excavated. The most diagnostic artifact is the Kayuk point, a lanceolate form with finely executed parallel oblique flaking, which resembles most closely the Angostura point of the Great Plains. Other stone artifacts, some of which also exhibit the parallel oblique flaking, include blades, scrapers, angle burins, microblades, drills, and adz blades. Implements of bone and antler, mostly caribou, include harpoons, leister and fish spear prongs and barbs, and other forms common in recent and prehistoric Arctic sites. The Kayuk site is believed to have been a hunting camp used during caribou migrations through Anaktuvuk Pass by a prehistoric Eskimo group which probably wintered on the northern coast as do the modern Nunamiut. The Kayuk complex probably belongs somewhere in time between the Denbigh Flint complex and Ipiutak.