Twenty Interesting Points: An Analysis of Bone Artefacts from Platypus Rockshelter

Authors

  • Victoria Francis Archaeological Sciences Laboratory, School of Social Science, University of Queensland, Brisbane, QLD 4072

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.25120/qar.13.2002.68

Abstract

While bone artefacts have been largely ignored in Australian archaeology, a wide range of functions for this artefact type are noted ethnographically. Twenty bone artefacts from Platypus Rockshelter, southeast Queensland, were used to test the applicability of residue analysis for functional assessment of archaeological bone artefacts. Analysis produced both predicted and unexpected results when compared with the known range of functions and results from other studies at this site. Plant and animal residues were observed on the artefacts, ranging from blood and collagen to starch raphides and the mineral, vivianite. These results have implications for site occupation as well as more general ones for the study of bone artefacts.

Downloads

Published

12/01/2002

Issue

Vol. 13 (2002)

Section

Articles

License

Authors who publish with this journal agree to the following terms:

1. Authors are responsible for ensuring that any material that has influenced the research or writing has been properly cited and credited both in the text and in the list of references. Contributors are responsible for gaining copyright clearance on figures, photographs or lengthy quotes used in their manuscript that have been published elsewhere.

2. Authors retain copyright and grant the journal right of first publication with the work simultaneously licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution License that allows others to share the work with an acknowledgement of the work's authorship and initial publication in this journal.

3. Authors are able to enter into separate, additional contractual arrangements for the non-exclusive distribution of the journal's published version of the work (e.g. post it to an institutional repository or publish it in a book), with an acknowledgement of its initial publication in this journal.

4. Authors are permitted and encouraged to post their work online (e.g. in institutional repositories or on their website) prior to and during the submission process, as it can lead to productive exchanges, as well as earlier and greater citation of published work (see The Effect of Open Access).

5. An article will not be published until the signed Author Agreement has been completed and returned to the Editors by the contributor.