Exploitation of animal bone fat by prehistoric human

doi:10.16359/j.1000-3193/AAS.2021.0030

Abstract

Abstract:

The exploitation of bone fat plays an important role in prehistoric human subsistence and it has been suggested that this process may involve two different human behaviors: bone marrow extraction and bone grease processing. Bone grease processing is a labor-intensitive activity which takes a lot of time and energy. The process of rendering the grease begins with smashing animal bones into small pieces. The spongy bone fragments are then placed into a container with water and bring to a simmer. The grease will rise to the surface as the bone fragments simmering and can be skimmed off with a dipper. However, compared to their western counterparts, archaeologists in China have hardly ever addressed the latter. In this paper, based on a thorough review of published papers in this field, we present the ways employed by scholars to identify the presence of this behavior and further discuss its archaeological implications in prehistoric themes, e.g., the intensity of human resource exploitation, mobility pattern and cooking technology.

Key words: Bone fat, Bone grease, Zooarchaeology, Taphonomy, Mobility

CLC Number:

Q915.86

DAI Jingwen, ZHANG Shuangquan, ZHANG Yue. Exploitation of animal bone fat by prehistoric human[J]. Acta Anthropologica Sinica, 2021, 40(03): 503-512.

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