From Greenland to the Petersfels – a taphonomy of recent reindeer antler, and its relevance for archaeology

Abstract

The specifi c taphonomy of deer antler, an important prehistoric raw material, is still almost unknown. In order to change this, taphonomic examinations on living reindeer antlers (Rangifer tarandus) were carried out in the Kangerlussuaq region (West Greenland) in 2009 and 2010. First, typical intravital and subaerial mechanical modifi cations like fractures, splintering, scratching, rounding-off and gnawing with very specifi c damage patterns can be considered characteristic. Second, it is possible to develop a model for describing the decomposition of an antler beam on the arctic tundra surface. Hence, the results are applied as a case study to the big reindeer antler inventory from the Late Magdalenian Petersfels cave in southwestern Germany: None of the pieces show traces of gnawing, and few are weathered, indicating a rapid covering up with sediment. The numerous breaks in fresh condition present on the material suggest that simple breaking/smashing played an important role during the processing of antlers at this site.