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scraper
Object Type
scraper
Museum number
1953,0208.16
Description
Worked aurochs bone. Fragment of Bos primigenius femur the edges of which have been modified by percussion flaking from the outer face. This flaking is marginal on the inner surface and quite abrupt effectively blunting the edge. The butt end shows the ancient break by which the bone flake was detached. The opposite end is concave or hollowed and is polished on the inner surface. Transverse striations likely to be use traces occur on the polished surface and on the dorsal edge. The tool was probably used for preparing animal skins.
Cultures/periods
Mesolithic
(early)
Production date
8000BC
(circa)
Findspot
Excavated/Findspot:
Star Carr
, Eastern end of the Vale of Pickering, five miles south of Scarborough, Yorkshire, close to the south bank of the modern river Hertford. The site lies on the southern flank of a low glacial hillock which rises above the general level of the peat , which now occupies the bed of the Mesolithic lake.
Materials
bone
(aurochs)
Dimensions
Length:
172 millimetres
Thickness:
13 millimetres
Width:
58 millimetres
Curator's comments
Found alongside another implement (XB8) of the same kind and material which is not in the BM collection.
Bibliographic references
Clark 1954 / Star Carr
(pp. 161-164)
Legge & Rowly-Conwy 1988 / Star Carr revisited
Mellars & Dark 1998 / Star Carr in Context
Dark 2000 / Revised 'absolute' dating of the early Mesolithic site of Star Carr, North Yorkshire, in the light of changes in the early Holocene tree-ring chronology.
Location
Not on display
Acquisition name
Donated by:
Sir Grahame Douglas Clark
Acquisition date
1953
Department
Britain, Europe and Prehistory
Registration number
1953,0208.16
Additional IDs
Miscellaneous number:
XB9