Bone and Shell Tools

Abstract

Paralleling the previous three chapters, this one reviews the generalized chaînes opératoires of artifacts made from bone, antler, ivory and shell, including material properties and reduction techniques. It then describes the terminology used to describe some of the most common kinds of bone and shell tools, such as needles, projectile points, fishhooks, potting tools, beads, and musical instruments. However, these materials were also used for many other purposes, including toggles, buttons, and furniture inlay. The chapter concludes with a case study on a Structuralist interpretation of bone and ivory tools in the Thule culture of the Canadian and Alaskan arctic.