Worked Bone

Since the beginning of mankind bones were used as raw material for the production of tools, artwork and various other purposes. Bone artefacts are regular finds in archaeological excavations. Bones owe their popularity as raw material to their mechanical properties. Grown to combine elasticity with stability they are well suited for objects in heavy-duty jobs. Important is also their ubiquitous availability as remains of food refuse. The use of skeletal materials like bone, antler and ivory can be tracked through all time periods and starts to cease not before the invention of plastics in the 20th century. But even today numerous people are engaged in bone working.