Bone Anvils and New Types of Osseous Tools at Walīla (Volubilis, Morocco): Use of Animal Byproducts in the Industries of a Medieval Town

Bone anvils used to sharpen metal sickle blades are frequently documented in the archaeological record of the Roman and medieval Mediterranean and beyond, with new finds reported each year. This article reports anvils from the early medieval town of Walīla (Roman Volubilis) in northern Morocco and presents two other types of bone tools (bone grinding implements and tool handles) not previously described in the scholarly literature. We argue these also relate to craft industries, with descriptions presented here allowing other researchers to identify similar items. Our hypothesis is that they were used in metalworking, and by plotting their distribution, we suggest an association between different crafts. In future, experimental work could test our hypothesis. At Walīla, the evidence suggests that varied trades used byproducts of the meat economy, with some elements deliberately selected for certain purposes, and found a practical application for recycling waste bone material that accumulated at a vast rate in medieval urban towns.