The Zamostje 2 site is situated on the left bank of Dubna River, one of the numerous sources of the Volga River. The site is located in wet boggy conditions, which are favourable for pit formation. This environment is also favourable for good preservation of prehistoric bone, wooden and other organic remains. This fact explains the richness of the organic material collections, and their good preservation. The site is situated 110 km to the north of Moscow and 50 km to the north of Sergiev Possad. We had to use a large experimental collection from the laboratory of use-wear analysis of the Institute of Material Culture History (St.-Petersburg, director G.F. Korobkova) with the aim of correlating the traces, which had formed on the surface of bone implements. So at our disposal we had experimental tools made from bone, which were linked with processing different materials: skins (needles, awls, scrapers, planes/spatula), wood (planes, burins, chisels), plants (sickles), pottery (planes and tools for decoration) and antlers (borers and perforators). Besides this we completed the experimental collection with tools made from cow ribs, which were used for fish scale processing and fish preparation. In this paper we describe the use-wear traces, found on the experimental tools and also two types of tools made from elk ribs, which were defined in the archaeological material. We analysed implements made from elk ribs found in the second Mesolithic layer (7400-7300 BP). Traditionally and accordingly to ethnographic materials these tools were known as “knives for fish processing”. Our investigation aimed to check on this functional statement made without any use-wear analysis. Also we analysed tool made from turtle shell (Emys orbicularis), which had been found in lower Mesolithic layer (7900-7800 BP), and a series of tools made from beaver mandible, which had been transformed in order to use the sharp points as burins.

10 páginas, 13 figuras.-- Comunicación presentada en el 1er Congreso de Análisis Funcional de España y Portugal celebrado en Barcelona a finales de Noviembre 2001.

Peer reviewed