Colchester Archaeological Report 2: The Roman small finds

CATEGORY 15: OBJECTS AND WASTE MATERIAL ASSOCIATED
Reports on the crucible sherds and slags will be
published with the site reports.
WITH METALWORKING
CATEGORY 16: OBJECTS AND WASTE MATERIAL ASSOCIATED
WITH ANTLER, HORN, BONE, AND TOOTH WORKING
In this category have been placed pieces of antler,
horn, bone and tooth which are offcuts or unfinished
items. Two groups of associated partially-worked
objects can be distinguished which indicate boneworking
activities on their respective sites. One of
these groups, that from Butt Road, has already been
published (Crummy 1981), though not fully.
ANTLER OFFCUTS OR UNFINISHED
OBJECTS (Fig 182; 4306-4312)
All the pieces are of red deer antler.
4307 Fig 182 SF LWC 1199(C), B62 F33. Wall foundation. Period
5. A section of thick antler beam. Length 173.0mm,
diameter 42.5 mm. Both ends have been sawn and one may
have been polished. The piece has been sectioned
longitudinally for most of its length, but one end seems to
have been left complete for 39.0 mm, though about a third of
the diameter at that end is now broken off. A hole 7.0mm
across has been bored through one side of the object (it may
in fact have passed right through the beam) at the ?complete
end before that end was sawn across. The hole is now
sectioned. Some of beam core has been cut out, most
noticeably at the ?complete end. It could have been the
attempted removal of this tissue that caused the piece to
break. This object, which is clearly unfinished, could
represent a stage in the manufacture of either a large twopiece
handle or an item from the tack of a driven animal.
4310 Fig 182 SF BKC 4894(C), N286 F92. Pit. Period 6+. A length
of antler beam which has been sawn across at both ends.
One section of the outer surface has been removed by very
shallow knife strokes. There is a slight abandoned saw cut
about 3.0 mm in from one end. Probably intended to be made
into a tool handle. Possibly associated with bone working on
the same site (4333-47 below). Length 61,5 mm.
4312 Fig 182 SF CPS 961, 605 F115. Occupation. Period 4. A
length of antler beam or tine similar to 4310, but with more
of the surface trimmed off. Both ends seem to have been cut
for part of the section and then broken. Length 93.5 mm.
HORN-WORKING WASTE
4313 Not illustrated, in microfiche catalogue. A horn core cut
across at one end (cf Schmid 1972, 46-8). Fig 182 Antler offcuts or unfinished objects (1:2)
149