Roman Bone Artefacts - First Steps Towards a New Approach

The manufacture and function of Roman bone artefacts are usually determined by applying multiple approaches. Observing traces, semi-finished products, and factory waste help researchers understand Roman bone artefacts' manufacture. Pictorial evidence, the context, or the comparisons with similar artefacts from different materials (Gostenčnik, 2005, p. 31) can help determine their function. Furthermore, researchers traditionally use a typological approach to assess the function of an archaeological artefact. In Deschler- Erb, Müller, and Wojtczak (2021), we presented a new approach to assess Roman bone artefacts: combining experimental archaeology and use-wear analysis The manufacture and function of Roman bone artefacts are usually determined by applying multiple approaches. Observing traces, semi-finished products, and factory waste help researchers understand Roman bone artefacts' manufacture. Pictorial evidence, the context, or the comparisons with similar artefacts from different materials can help determine their function. Furthermore, researchers traditionally use a typological approach to assess the function of an archaeological artefact. Here, we present a new approach to assess Roman bone artefacts: combining experimental archaeology and use-wear analysis. The manufacture and function of Roman bone artefacts are usually determined by applying multiple approaches. Observing traces, semi-finished products, and factory waste help researchers understand Roman bone artefacts' manufacture. Pictorial evidence, the context, or the comparisons with similar artefacts from different materials (Gostenčnik, 2005, p. 31) can help determine their function. Furthermore, researchers traditionally use a typological approach to assess the function of an archaeological artefact. In Deschler- Erb, Müller, and Wojtczak (2021), we presented a new approach to assess Roman bone artefacts: combining experimental archaeology and use-wear analysi