Cremona, Piazza Marconi: una bottega specializzata nella produzione di oggetti in osso e palco

Among different types of evidence found in the archaeological site of Piazza Marconi in Cremona (excavation carried out by the Soprintendenza Archeologica della Lombardia), a large number of worked and semi-processed animal remains are of special interest. The archaeozoological analysis of these remains provided considerable information that allowed indicating the presence of a workshop specialised in the production of bone and antler artefacts between the second half of the 2nd century and the first half of the 1st century BC. The supply of raw material took place probably in the waste of butchery process. The sorting of the skeletal elements was based on the objects that had to be produced and fell almost exclusively on cattle. The most used anatomical elements were metacarpals and metatarsals, followed by scapulae, radii, femurs, tibias and ulnas. The production of bone door hinges in the workshop played a role of primary importance. Numerous remains also documented a production of bone styli and other objects. Part of the production from the workshop was definitely linked to the processing of deer antlers, as evidenced by the considerable number of remains found in here. The antlers of deer coming from this excavation are mostly characterised by a series of cuts made with a serrated knife. The study of the faunal remains has also allowed identifying one fragment of elk antler.