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Worked bone objects appeared in trade networks—transported distances, exchanged between regions, creating economic connections through craft goods.
The Market:
Combs particularly were trade items—found in archaeological contexts far from where they were made, suggesting specialized production centers supplied broader markets. The trade demonstrated that bone-working supported professional craftsmen—people who made living producing these objects, whose skill justified purchasing their products rather than making inferior versions yourself.
The Status:
Fine bone objects marked status—elaborate combs, decorated pins, carved game pieces demonstrated wealth and taste. The objects weren’t merely functional but social signifiers, ways of displaying prosperity and cultural sophistication through possession of quality goods.
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