Surovell TA, Litynski ML, Allaun SA, Buckley M, Schoborg TA, Govaerts JA, O'Brien MJ, Pelton SR, Sanders PH, Mackie ME, Kelly RL. Use of hare bone for the manufacture of a Clovis bead.
Sci Rep 2024;
14:2937. [PMID:
38316967 PMCID:
PMC10844228 DOI:
10.1038/s41598-024-53390-9]
[Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/23/2023] [Accepted: 01/31/2024] [Indexed: 02/07/2024] Open
Abstract
A tubular bone bead dating to ~ 12,940 BP was recovered from a hearth-centered activity area at the La Prele Mammoth site in Converse County, Wyoming, USA. This is the oldest known bead from the Western Hemisphere. To determine the taxonomic origin of the bead, we extracted collagen for zooarchaeology by mass spectrometry (ZooMS). We also used micro-CT scanning for morphological analysis to determine likely skeletal elements used for its production. We conclude that the bead was made from a metapodial or proximal phalanx of a hare (Lepus sp.). This find represents the first secure evidence for the use of hares during the Clovis period. While the use of hare bone for the manufacture of beads was a common practice in western North America during the Holocene, its origins can now be traced back to at least the terminal Pleistocene.
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