How to tell if a bone is ancient or modern?

[Okieknaphead]

I found this bone while hunting for points at a site I have been posting updates on in show and tell. It appears to have been cut but I couldn’t tell you if it was 2 years old or 200 years old. Any help would be much appreciated.

[Okieknaphead]

I tried to burn a small section of the base in the Porous area and it didn’t smoke or smell like burning hair, I’m experimenting lol.

[SurfaceHunter]

No idea on the age but does look like saw Mark's

[Okieknaphead]

Maybe some guys deer kill from 1999!

[Okieknaphead]

I would like to know some identifying characteristics on aging so I can know what to look for. I’m just shooting in the dark with a completely subjective “looks old” method of bone collecting.

[painshill]

Unfortunately there’s no easy way for an amateur to tell, but those are for sure metal saw marks on the end… probably from a butchery saw in relatively modern times.

The burn test can sometimes be useful determining fossil (mineral replaced) bones from those that aren’t mineral replaced and perhaps give you some indication of age for the latter, but all it really tells you is whether there is any collagen remaining. Burnt collagen has an unmistakeable awful smell.

Although that smell will progressively become less strong if you put a flame to bones that are older, it’s massively dependent on the burial or other deposition conditions for the bone. How wet it has been, how exposed it has been, the environmental pH, whether it has been festering in a garbage pile etc etc. Also if the bone has been cooked (especially by boiling) then that also has a dramatic effect in degrading the collagen more rapidly.

[Okieknaphead]

Thanks, that is a good start. Would there be any markings on something that was cut with stone or would it leave a smoothly ground surface?

[Hal Gorges]

It looks metal cut and rodent chewed there’s no substitute for experience, this is a great place to cash in on other folks experience.

[Okieknaphead]

I’m hoping to be able to do just that.