Bone Industry

Some types of animal bones such as ribs, scapulas or teeth, etc. were used as raw material to produce ornaments and tools. These bones were selected depending on their future function. Tubular bones were cut bevelled  and sharpened to be used as awls or needles, whilst the even bones were used to make pallets. Diaphyses was utilized to obtain cylindrical beads, although, in occasions, these ornaments were made of fish vertebrae. Supports were placed on the flames of a fire to give them more hardness. All these technological aspects of the bone industry constitute an aim of study of this research area.

Ivory V-perforated buttons 

On the other hand, to know the origin of these raw materials assists defining the scope of the Argaric supplying systems. Among these exogenous materials found in La Bastida, we can find a large number of sea shells probably from the beaches of Mazarrón. The high erosion seen on these mollusks manifests that only the empty valves were collected. Furhermore, the ivory is very interesting from the point of view of the exchange. This one was utilized to manufacture V-perforated buttons. This type of material could have arrived from the south east of the peninsula, from the eastern Mediterranean or north Africa. The specific analysis (optical measures as well as spectroscopy of transmition) will acquaint on the origin of these exchange goods.

Group of bone beads from a collar, segmented and cylindrical.