Sound tool or a fisherman’s tool? : An experimental approach to the Mesolithic bird bone artefact from the “Antrea net find”

Abstract

The well-known Mesolithic net find of Antrea includes, among other things, an artefact made of whooper swan (Cygnus cygnus) bone. One end of this tubular artefact is equipped with an U-shaped notch, which resembles a kind of working edge or the blowing end of a wind instrument. This article aims to shed new light on the function of the artefact by making copies and type models, and testing them in practice. The copies perform well as a duct flute and a reed pipe, but small structural details suggest that the maker was not after a sound instrument. A more probable function for this kind of artefact would be a fisherman’s tool used for scaling fish, peeling bark or making and repairing nets. Although the experiments do not lead to an unequivocal identification of the artefact, it appears that its earlier suggested use as a flute or other kind of wind instrument is unlikely.