Bone Tools

     In areas where stone was scarce, bone often was used instead of stone for some tools, such as projectile points used on the ends of spears or darts. Deer was the preferred animal for many kinds of bone tools. Bones from the lower leg were especially popular for making bone projectile points (A, B, C) and pins (D) because these bones are long and straight.

     Researchers can reconstruct the process of making a deer bone point from bone artifacts from the Tchefuncte site. Some of the bone artifacts recovered from the site represent leftover pieces that were discarded waste from making a tool, while others were pieces that broke while the tool was being made. This production process is illustrated in the bottom photo.

Click on the images to the left for a closer look.