The bone industry on the Amoura cave site in Djelfa: a preliminary study of the various phenomena of damage

Abstract

Archaeological finds in general, and bone remains in particular, are exposed in archaeological sites to various phenomena of damage, which cause distortions and changes to the surface of the piece and its general shape, and these distortions are to varying degrees from one piece to another. From this point of view, we thought that it was necessary to address this aspect of the study and apply it to the collection of bone art under study, which was extracted from the site of the cave of Amoura in Djelfa, which dates back to the Holocene period. We examined this bone group, and concluded that it was subject to various manifestations of damage, which afflict the bone surface and bone matter in general, since its abandonment in archaeological sites. It is caused by various factors, including: Physical and chemical factors (soil oxidation, solid limestone deposits), and others resulting from biological factors (such as rodents and carnivores in particular, and plant roots), in addition to the phenomenon of fragmentation and fracture resulting from natural and human manifestations. The aim of such a study is to know the extent of human intervention and control over bone matter, to extract from it the tools that he uses in his daily life, and the techniques he uses to achieve this