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Abstract:
Barbed bone and antler points are regularly found washed ashore on the Dutch coast. They were originally deposited in Doggerland
and they are attributed to the Mesolithic based on typology and some direct 14C datings [1] [2]. The bones, of which the barbed
points were made, have been intensively modified during manufacture, usage and post-depositional processes. Consequently, it
is impossible to derive their taxonomical identification from morphological characteristics. In our research we have analysed ten
barbed points found on the Dutch shores using mass spectrometry and collagen peptide mass fingerprinting. Here we present the
ZooMS taxonomic identifications alongside the results of 14C ages and δ 13C and δ 15N measurements.
· The success of the proteomic analysis of nine out of ten barbed points demonstrates that a burial in marine environments
since the early Holocene has preserved sufficient unmodified collagen to allow mass spectrometry-based taxonomic identifications.
· Seven of the analysed barbed points were produced on Cervus elaphusand/or Alces alces (indistinguishable using ZooMS)
bone and antler, while two others were identified as made with Homo sapiens bone.
· The uncalibrated 14C ages of the barbed points fall between 9.5 and 7.3 ka 14C BP.
· The δ13C and δ15N values of the human bone points suggest a freshwater and/or terrestrial fauna diet, while the Cervus/Alces
bone and antler points fall within the range of other herbivores from Doggerland.
Our study confirms that large-scale application of ZooMS is needed to reveal the selection of species used for bone-tool manufacture during Prehistory. Although our sample is small, it represents a random sample from several sites spanning the entirety of
the Mesolithic. In this light we interpret the selection of Cervus/Alces and Homo sapiens bones as a non-random and intentional
choice. The use of human bone for the production of barbed points, which possibly served as weapons, indicates a previously unknown aspect of mortuary practices in Mesolithic Doggerland.
