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A scapula suck with a stone tool was found among the numerous
bones of dolphins from StratumⅩⅠ, the Later Early to the Early Middle
Jomon-period (c.5000 B.P.), Mawaki Site, Ishikawa Prefecture. The specimen
is a fragment from Cavitas glenoidalis to Incisura scapulae of the
right scapula, with Margo lateralis missing. The tool sticks in
the costal face and the split of 10.5mm length × 2.9mm width is exposed
near the fracture of the side missing Margo lateralis. The X-ray
photograph shows that the tool has a pointed end. The tool is made from
the pyroxene andesite and has the face as retouched as spearheads or arrowheads,
main artifacts from the site. The identified specimens of dolphins from
the site consist of Lagenorhyncus obliquidens, Delphinus delphis,
Tursiops truncatus, Pseudorca crassidens, Globicephara
macrorynchus and Grampus griseus. The scapula suck with the
tool belongs to L. obliquidens or D. delphis, the former
having a higher possibility. L. obliquidens amounts to about 60%
of dolphins from the site. It may safely be assumed that the bows and spears
were used for caching dolphins, especially L. obliquidens that has
the ability to break through encircling nets. (Revised for my web-site after Journal of the Anthropological Society of Nippon, Vol.96, No.2:209, 1988) |
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