| Summary: | The subject of this study is the exploitation of marrow in European elk (Alces alces), at two Stone Age settlements in northern Sweden. The bone material presented in this study originate from Bellsås in Jämtland county, and Bastuloken in Västernorrland county. Only bones containing white marrow have been analysed: the mandibula, the long bones, and the first and second phalanges. This study aims to understand if, and how the extraction and use of bone marrow varied between the two sites. Is there a difference in which elements that were chosen for exploitation between the two sites? What can differences in the choice of elements for marrow extraction tell us about changes in local preferences and alterations in practises over time? Can the stone material from the two sites in combination with the bones give any clue to how the localities were used? The results of this study shows that the difference in marrow exploitation between the two sites lies mainly in the choice to exploit phalanges as a source for marrow at Bastuloken but not at Bellsås. The reasons for this are discussed and the conclusion is that cultural choices or preferences, rather than nutritional stress, are the cause for the choice to use these elements as a source for marrow. The bone and stone material in combination show that the two localities have been used in different ways.
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