Functional Study of an Archaeological Tool of Mammoth Ivory with Four Spiral Holes

In an archaeological experiment, the hypothesis was tested whether the replica of a perforated bâton percé with four spiral holes made from mammoth ivory, which was excavated in 2015 at Hohle Fels Cave in Schelklingen, is suitable for making ropes. For this purpose, the author has experimentally carved the object with tools based on corresponding devices from the Upper Paleolithic. Leather cords were used to make the rope, which were fed through the four holes as a bundle of fibers. The four strands were twisted individually and finally twisted into a four-strand rope. At least six participants are required to successfully conduct the experiment. As a result, it is shown that rope production is possible using the bâton percé

Archaeology · Bundle · Cave · Composite material · Experimental archaeology · Geography · Mammoth · Rope · Engineering · Image Processing and 3D Reconstruction · Materials Science · Pleistocene-Era Hominins and Archaeology · Geology · Mechanical Engineering