Osteological evidence of change in butchering technique

Abstract

Data on butchering marks can yield information on prehistoric butchering techniques. A selection of cutmarks deriving from the various stages in the butchering process of caribou as conducted by the Nunamiut Eskimo (Binford 1981) is presented. Some examples from bone collections from Neolithic to Medieval times are given. Stress is laid on the importance that any bone collection to be searched for butchery marks should be as unbiased and as unsampled as possible. Systematically analysed and recorded cutmarks provide data which might reveal renewal or conservatism in butchery practice, and, give a basis for a more detailed picture of the use of animal products and greater insight into prehistoric economy.