BOWHEAD WHALEBONE WITH
IMBEDDED IVORY HARPOON

SAINT LAWRENCE ISLAND

IN THE BERING SEA
2120 YEARS BEFORE PRESENT
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COPYRIGHT NOVEMBER 30, 2012 PETER A. BOSTROM

     This broken tip of a walrus ivory harpoon and a bone segment of a bowhead whale's flipper were collected several years ago on the shore of Saint Lawrence Island in the Bering Sea. The broken tip of the Walrus ivory harpoon or lance was found deeply imbedded in the bone. This is a heavy duty projectile. Most whale harpoons have metal or stone blades attached to the point. An x-ray of the bone shows that this harpoon didn't have a cutting blade attached to the point. The piercing end of this harpoon is flat and squared and has no sharp cutting edge. The point was made by trimming away two opposite sides to form a chisel tip. This ivory harpoon or lance tip measures 4 3/4 inches (12 cm) long and 1 9/16 inches (4  cm) wide at the broken end. The whalebone measures slightly over 7 inches (18 cm) across in the x-ray.

Ivory harpoon tip imbedded in a whale flipper bone.

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