Knowra Bone carving Bone carving Bone carving is the practice of cutting, engraving, or polishing animal bone into decorative objects, tools, or sculptures. It uses bone’s hard, porous structure as both material and visual feature.
Bone : Bone is a rigid connective tissue composed of mineral, collagen, cells, and fluid. Its mineralized structure gives carving material hardness, while its pores and grain affect cutting and polishing.
Upper Paleolithic : The Upper Paleolithic is the later phase of the Paleolithic in Eurasia, beginning roughly 50,000 years ago. Its archaeological record includes expanding traditions of finely worked bone and antler.
Bone needle : A bone needle is a sewing implement carved from bone, often with an eye for thread. Needles show how carving converted bone into precise, functional equipment.
Ivory carving : Ivory carving is the shaping of dentine, especially tusk material, into objects or sculpture. Ivory is dentine rather than ordinary bone, though both are animal-derived carving materials.
Bone tools : Bone tools are implements made from animal bone for cutting, piercing, scraping, or other tasks. Carving depends on suitable cutting and scraping tools, while finished bone can itself become a tool.
Aurignacian : The Aurignacian is an Upper Paleolithic archaeological culture associated with early modern humans in Europe and western Asia. Aurignacian sites preserve early bone points, ornaments, and carved objects.
Bone harpoon : A bone harpoon is a barbed hunting or fishing point made from bone or antler. Its barbs and shaft require controlled shaping of bone for effective capture.
Antler working : Antler working is the shaping of the branched tissue shed and regrown by deer and related animals. Antler is bone-like in composition but grows differently and is commonly classified separately in archaeology.
Flint knapping : Flint knapping is the shaping of stone by striking or pressing off flakes. Stone flakes and blades often supplied sharp edges for cutting bone before metal tools became common.
Hohle Fels Venus : The Hohle Fels Venus is a mammoth-ivory figurine from the Swabian Jura, dating to at least 35,000 years ago. This carved figurine demonstrates early figurative work in a hard animal material closely related to bone.
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