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Archaeology Terms

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Bone Grease

Crushed bones Bone marrow is a particularly rich source of fat, and most animal long bones found on archaeological sites have been smashed to small fragments, and then boiled to extract this fat.  The fat was particularly important in the winter when other food was scarce. It was often mixed with corn, dried meat or other foods in a stew, and also used basically as we would use butter.

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MVAC Educational Programs are supported in part by the National Endowment for the Humanities. Any views, findings, conclusions or recommendations expressed in these programs do not necessarily represent those of the National Endowment for the Humanities. This project was supported in part by the National Science Foundation. Opinions expressed are those of the authors and not necessarily those of the Foundation.