Worked and Working Bones—Wild Resource Use in an Agricultural Neolithic Community at Miaodigou Site, China

Abstract

This paper examines worked-bone production at the Miaodigou (MDG) site, a key Middle Neolithic settlement in northern China, to assess the role of bone objects in craft production, subsistence, and social life. During the expansion of millet agriculture and pig domestication, a small group of community members continued to acquire wild animal resources and engage in bone working. This study analyzes 26 finished bone objects and 69 modified osseous fragments through technological analysis, microscopic use-wear analysis, and replication experiments. Results reveal a simple yet pragmatic production system and provide the first reconstruction of the Middle Yangshao worked-bone production sequence. Small-scale bone production reflects a limited but persistent tradition of wild resource exploitation, integrating procurement, manufacture, and use. It also highlights the diversity of subsistence and craft activities within an agriculture-based society, where hunting and gathering practices are often underrepresented. This study further clarifies the functions of two common but understudied tool types in Chinese Neolithic assemblages. Replication experiments show that some awls were likely used for loosening threads or cords, while so-called “knives or daggers” might function as scrapers for bast fibers or animal hides.