Re: opening oysters with stone tools?

From: mikelist (mutterer_at_notime)
Date: 02/22/05 

Date: Tue, 22 Feb 2005 07:37:58 -0500

>
> Bruised knuckles, bleeding lips and more then likely, fatal intestinal
> cuts facillitated by the sharp shards of the oyster shells ingested with
> the mashed oyster : )

gastric solvents would have likely dissolved or eroded pieces small
enough to swallow without choking. Besides, oyster shells aren't like
clam shells, they are much thicker, I think 'chunks' would be a better
description of the shell bits that would be caused by smashing them.
Still, I'd guess that the hammer method wasn't the method of choice.
>
>
> Or, do as most pre-metal tool cultures do/did, throw the oysters (and
> the rocks/mangrove roots etc) they are attached to into a fire : )

That seems to me like the most likely method of opening shells. Oyster
middens should tell something about that, based on the condition of the
shells. I've never seen an oyster midden, but in New Orleans oyster
shells are used like gravel, and it occurs to me that broken shells
would be obvious, leaving only heat to do the hard work. Conceivably
though, presuming that the climate was temperate or warmer, they may
have been able to merely lay them in the sun, perhaps covered with
leaves to collect and retain heat.

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