This paper comments on the bone and antler assemblages excavated from the Early Preboreal site of Star Carr
(North Yorkshire, United Kingdom) between 2004 and 2015. It examines the spatial distribution of osseous
material across the site, and discusses the various depositional processes which have led to their accumulation.
As a previously excavated site, the published literature surrounding Star Carr has presented challenges for the
traditional categories of animal bones, artefacts and osseous manufacturing waste. This paper uses some of the
most high-profile finds from Star Carr, the red deer antler frontlets, as a case study for the examination of these
tensions, and details the ways in which the most recent excavations required a reappraisal of the categorisation
of these artefacts in light of new finds, technological analysis, and experimental replication.
Elliott, B. et al.: Understanding the bone and antler assemblages from Star Carr, in: Gross et al. (edd.), Working at The Sharp End at Hohen Viecheln, Untersuchungen und Materialien zur Steinzeit in Schleswig-Holstein und im Ostseeraum, Vol. 10, pp. 419–432, DOI: 10.23797/9783529018619-17.