| Entry: | Today has been very productive working on bones for the KOPAL project. We are investigating human: animal relations within the deposits to determine whether humans and animals have been treated in the same way. Cut marks and processing of remains are key to understanding this, and I’ve been looking out for any evidence of butchery within the animal bones. The problem with identifying cut marks made using obsidian tools is that they are so sharp and so efficient at cutting through tough muscle and sinew that they don’t necessarily leave marks on the bone, and when they do they are very fine and difficult to spot. I’ve found cut marks on a couple of bones so far, and today, I found a phalanx that appeared to be chopped which was very interesting, given the low frequency of butchery marks within the assemblage. Lots more work to do over the coming weeks in the quest to understanding the KOPAL deposits. |
