Achaeometrical Research in Hungary II., 1988

ANCIENT TECHNOLOGY - László BARTOSIEWICZ: A quantitative assesment of red deer antler as raw material

László BARTOSIEWICZ A QUANTITATIVE ASSESMENT OF RED DEER ANTLER AS RAW MATERIAL Abstract" Red deer antler has been a popular raw material throughout the history of Central Europe: it could be acquired not only by hunting but also by gathering shed antler at the end of the winter, which made red deer antler relatively easily available. Little is known, however, of the quantity of unprocessed antler that yielded individual archaeological artifacts. In this paper, antler formation was studied using allometric calculations carried out on modern trophies. Familiarity with the morphometry and relative growth of antler proportions can be of help in estimating antler size from relatively small, worked pieces kept in archaeological assemblages. Key words: antler manufacturing, animal raw materials, allometric growth Introduction The antler of red deer {Cervus elaphus Linnaeus 1758) has been a popular raw material in manufacturing various artifacts throughout human history. This animal is widely distributed in both Eurasia and North America, thus in many places, antler was readily available in many types of environment. It could be acquired not only by hunting but also by gathering shed antler, which made it a common raw material for artifacts in many areas and cultures (CHOYKE and BARTOSIEWICZ 1984: 254). Following the heyday of bone and antler manufacturing in prehistoric times (CHOYKE 1987: 112), the significance of making bone tools radically decreased by the Middle Ages in Hungary (BARTOSIEWICZ 1995: 75). Antler manufacturing, however, retained its significance throughout the Migration Period and even medieval times (CHOYKE and BARTOSIEWICZ 1986: 256, CHOYKE 1995: 236). Little is known, however, of the quantity of unprocessed antler that was required for the production of individual archaeological artifacts. In this paper, antler formation was studied using allometric calculations carried out on a large assemblage of modern trophies. Familiarity with the relative growth of antler proportions can be of help in estimating antler size from relatively small, worked pieces in archaeological assemblages. Material and methods Bán and Fatalin (1986: 122) conducted a detailed evaluation of modern red deer trophies from Hungary which is of fundamental importance in this study. While their work focuses on antler from the viewpoint of game biology and wildlife management, it deals with ontogeny in a rather implicit way. It is however, the growth and development of antler that determines the final size and shape of both the trophy and the quantity of raw material available for manufacturing. Institute of Archaeological Sciences Loránd Eötvös University (H-1

088 Budapest, Múzeum körút 4/B) 217