Abstract
SUMMARY: In this article we examine and interpret a cattle-bone assemblage from the small town of Rauma, Finland, dating to the early 18th century, exhibiting evidence for large-scale raw bone material collection and preparation. Sawn ends of bovine metapodials originating from at least 230 individuals were found in shallow pits near the town border. Bones from adult male cattle dominated the sample. The uniformity of the craft process, careful selection of the bones and the concentrated deposition of the waste indicate a professional large-scale operation aimed at preparation of half-finished products. The shafts were probably not worked further at this site. It is likely that metapodial shafts were exported to larger cities, such as Stockholm, because Rauma, or possibly even the whole of 18th-century Finland, would not have had the markets for such a large number of end products.
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
We would like to thank Janne Haarala, Michael Marshall and Karen Stewart for their help and Jonathan Robinson for proofreading the manuscript.
Notes
16 The following animals were marked in the customs records as having been brought into town: 4 draught oxen, 71 bullocks, 30 cows, 83 heifers and 89 calves in 1723; and 293 calf hides, 106 cow, heifer or bullock hides, 12 ox hides, 17 calves, 51 cows, 25 oxen, 204 bullocks, 34 heifers and 7 bulls in 1791 (Lähteenoja Citation1939, 388–98). As metapodial bones could have been left attached to the cattle hides during the skinning process, these are also potential source of metapodials in the town (e.g. Serjeantson Citation1989).
21 Animal bone material from Finnish post-medieval towns indicates that households were largely self-supporting for meat and slaughtered at least part of the animals they consumed on their own yard (Tourunen Citation2008).
26 Schmid (Citation1968) suggests that, since the adhesive properties of animal glue would be impaired by the inclusion of gristle, the articular ends of the bones may have been sawn off before boiling.
27 Vretemark (Citation1997b, 205) had ‘no doubt that when the comb makers moved to using bone instead of antler, the dominating bone type was metacarpal and metatarsal from cattle’. On combs and comb-making in medieval Finland (Turku), see e.g. Halonen Citation2007; Harjula & Bläuer forthcoming; Koskinen 2004; Poutiainen Citation1999.
28 Harjula & Bläuer forthcoming. In 1791 customs reported 276 bone combs imported to Rauma, probably to be distributed to large trade area (Lähteenoja Citation1939, 388–98).
32 For a detailed analysis of materials and working procedures with knife handles in the Sheffield cutlery industry, see Unwin Citation2014, 124, 126–7, figs 4–5.
35 On the variety of Late Modern Period bone artefacts, see e.g. Harjula et al. Citation2015.
36 Lehmkuhl Citation2005, 277. The use of buttons in the clothing of the well-to-do men increased in 18th-century Finland. Even if bone was used for buttons among other materials, metal was much more common (Kuokkanen et al. Citation2015, table 2).
38 e.g. Moreno-García et al. Citation2010; Spitzers Citation1997. In medieval Finland, the scarce archaeological evidence of bone bead manufacturing mainly comes from Turku. There is no evidence of medieval manufacture of these items in Rauma. The same is true for the Modern Period. See Harjula & Hiekkanen Citation2006, 533; Koskinen 2004, 73.
Kuokkanen, T., Mutka, T. & Ylimaunu, T. 2015, ‘Nappeja, solkia ja asetuksia: lainsäädännön vaikutus pukeutumiseen varhaismodernissa Oulussa’, Artefactum 5, <http://www.artefacta.fi/artefactum> [accessed 2 February 2015]. MacGregor, A. 1985, Bone, Antler, Ivory and Horn: the Technology of Skeletal Materials since the Roman Period, London: Croom Helm. Moreno-García, M., Pimenta, C.M., Pajuelo Pando, A. & López Aldana, P.M. 2010, ‘Archaeological evidence of pre-industrial worked bone activity in 18th century Seville, Spain’, in Legrand-Pineau & Sidéra 2010, 183–90. Spitzers, T.A. 1997, ‘Late medieval bone bead production: socio-economic aspects based on material from Constance, Germany’, Anthropozoologica 25–6, 157–63. Harjula, J. & Hiekkanen, M. 2006, ‘Crafts in the town of Turku from the 13th to the 18th century’, in Gläser 2006, 521–37. Hiekkanen, M. 2006, ‘Helminauhoja uuden ajan alkupuolen haudoissa’, Muinaistutkija 3:2006, 23–48. Väänänen, A. 2006, ‘Helmiä siunatusta maasta. Historiallisen ajan helmet ja niiden käyttö kirkollisten kohteiden aineistojen valossa’, University of Turku MA thesis. Lähteenoja, A. 1939, Rauman kaupungin historia IV: Rauma 1809–1917, Rauma: Town of Rauma. Lähteenoja, A. 1939, Rauman kaupungin historia IV: Rauma 1809–1917, Rauma: Town of Rauma. Alanen, A.J. 1964, Suomen historia kustavilaisella ajalla, Helsinki: WSOY. Lähteenoja, A. 1939, Rauman kaupungin historia IV: Rauma 1809–1917, Rauma: Town of Rauma. Lähteenoja, A. 1939, Rauman kaupungin historia IV: Rauma 1809–1917, Rauma: Town of Rauma. Additional information
Notes on contributors
Auli BlÄuer
Natural Resources Institute Finland, Production Systems, Itäinen Pitkäkatu 4a, FI-20520 Turku, Finland (AB) [[email protected]]
Janne Harjula
University of Turku, Archaeology, Akatemiankatu 1, FI-20500 Turku, Finland (JH, AB) [[email protected]]
Heli Lehto
Archaeology, Department of Cultures, FI-00014 University of Helsinki (HL, KU) [[email protected]]
The site archive including the finds has been deposited at the National Board of Antiquities, Finland (cat. no. KM 41320:1-364)
This paper is published with financial assistance from Academy of Finland (Grant no. SA286499)
![Sample our Humanities journals, sign in here to start your FREE access for 14 days]({"type":"image" , "src" : "/sda/5939/TOC-Subject-Sample-2021-Humanities.jpg"})