Worked Bones at Tell Mardikh-Ebla : Objects and Tools from the Early Bronze to the Iron Ages: Preliminary Remarks on Typology, Function and Archaeological Context

The bone industry had a peculiar role in the craftsmen activities at Tell Mardikh-Ebla since the Early Bronze Age. Together with meaningful examples of figurative bone and ivory inlays (mainly dating from the Old syrian Period, ca. 2000–1600 B.C.), more simple objects and tools were manufactured for common people and were especially used for the textile production (i.e., spindle-whorls, spindles, awls, combs, spatulae). A wide chronological time-span covers the Eblaic sequence, allowing to understand the evolution of some typologies as well as the presence or the absence of some specific tools during the main phases of the site (Early Bronze IV–Middle Bronze I–II–Iron Ages). A preliminary typology is presented, and a functional and contextual analysis for the materials found in the Royal Palace G (EB IVA, ca. 2400–2350 B.C.) is illustrated with distributive plans, tables and graphs.