Mammoth Ivory - The First Man-Made Artwork

Throughout the history of human civilization, mammoth ivory has been used for tools and portable artworks. They are known for their unique colouration, veining, and smooth polish. The first known man-made artworks are believed to have been carved around 34000 years ago mammoth ivory.

Mammoth ivory is similar to elephant ivory in terms of its chemical composition and workability. However, its microstructure is very different. It is a fossil, which means that it has been preserved in the permafrost of North America and Siberia for thousands of years.

Tusks of proboscidean mammals (like mammoths) have a distinctive microstructure that allows them to retain their properties for thousands of years in the permafrost. This makes them ideal for use in projectile points. In addition, their mechanical properties are comparable to those of antler compacta and elephant dentine.

Mammoth tusks are generally found in Siberia and Alaska. They are made up of a layer of dentine and cementum, a bonelike substance that supports the tooth. Dentine is composed of Calcium hydroxyapatite. It has small amounts of other minerals. When the mammoth tusks are buried, they are stained with minerals and are usually brown or turquoise in colour.

Tusks are rarely recovered in good condition. Many are cracked and decayed. Some pieces are even broken. Mammoth ivory is very heavy and requires a very delicate drying process, which can take several months. A mammoth tusk can weigh up to 150 kg.

Mammoth tusks have different mechanical properties from each other, depending on the species. Tusks of Mammuthus primigenus, a species of mammoth that lived during the last ice age, are larger than those of extant Asian elephants. They are also fixed in the skull by a strong torsion. They are also characterized by the presence of a sinusoidal orientation of the microtubuli, which allows crack propagation.

Tusks of proboscidean mammoths can be differentiated from those of elephants by their presence of elongated helical pores in the radial direction. These pores facilitate crack propagation. Moreover, proboscidean tusks are also stronger than elephant tusks, which makes them ideal for large projectile points.

The size of the alveolar cavities determines the appearance of a mammoth tusk. Tusks of mammoths are usually curved and spiral. They are also shaped into hundreds of objects. However, mammoths died out tens of thousands of years ago. This was due to the warming climate. Once the temperature rose, mammoths adapted to the new climate by adding fur.

Tusks of proboscidean animals are characterized by their high collagen content. They have similar longitudinal stiffness values to cervid antler compacta and elephant dentine. The density and shape of their alveolar cavities also determine the shape of the teeth.

Tusks of proboscidean species are also unique in that they have a majority of elongated helical pores, which facilitates crack propagation. The presence of these pores is important for the development of projectile points. They also provide an ideal preservation environment for mammoth ivory.

Mammoth ivory has a unique history, and it requires special skills to work with lithic tools. Tusks from Siberia are rarely recovered in good condition. However, a few pieces have been found in the United States and Canada.