Antler Bolt Shaft Plane – a Rare Tool from the Stronghold in Muszyna

Abstract

An antler bolt or arrow shaft plane is a tool rarely found in the archaeological materials. Even if one is discovered, it is probably incorrectly interpreted as a part of a musical instrument (a recorder or a pipe). Furthermore, it is believed that apart from the bone, stone and antler arrow or bolt shaft planes were also made of hardwood, which have not been preserved until today. It is a reason why in Poland we know only a few examples of this type of tool – the one discussed from the stronghold in Muszyna and one from the collection of Royal Castle in Warsaw. Therefore, this paper attempts to explain how the planes look like, how they were used and how to distinguish them from a musical instrument in order to avoid misinterpretations in the future, and maybe, to start a bigger work based on a larger number of relicts.

Keywords

• Muszyna
• antler
• bolt shaft plane
• arrow shaft abrader
• musical instrument