## 3 Anthropic Origin of the Holes  
Due to the shortcomings the explanation of [PERSON] and his colleagues regarding the carnivore origin of the holes and damage on femur diaphysis no. 652, more attention is warranted to the alternative explanation of the find and findings connected to it, which are based on the results of appropriate experiments and on indirect evidence from archaeological finds in Mousterian levels of DB. When piercing bones Neanderthals could imitate carnivores and use pointed tools and the dynamic force of strikes, instead of the compression force of teeth. Holes can be carved into the diaphysis with pointed stone tools [30] found in the Mousterian levels of DB [44]. The bone does not crack during this procedure. The edge of such holes is irregular and serrated, just as with holes on the specimen no. 652, while the edge of holes made by a tooth is generally smooth, depending on the thickness of the cortical bone (Figure 3). Clearly recognisable tool marks are not always present as was attested by [PERSON]. Namely, six experimentally carved holes were put under microscopic examination. Tool marks were detected on only half of them [19]. However, characteristic damage, such as a broken tip and other fractures, does occur on the tools. Such damage is also present on some of the Mousterian tools from DB [10; 20; 31] (Figure 4). Holes can also be made with a blunt ad hoc bone punch, struck with a wooden hammer, if a dent has previously been carved into the cortical bone. The holes produced by this technique are morphologically identical to the holes on the specimen no. 652 and completely lack the conventional manufacture marks [21]. Figure 4: Tools suitable for perforating cortical bone: Pointed stone tools (the first on the right has a broken tip) and bone punches from the Mousterian layers of Divje babe I (photo [PERSON], NMS). Whether the bone will crack depends on the shape of the punch point (blunt or sharp). In Mousterian levels of DB, beside rare undisputable fragments of bone and antler points, some ad hoc punches with rounded tips were found [23; 45] (Figure 4). At first glance, such artificially made holes on the diaphysis resemble holes made with teeth. The latter are almost always in the vicinity of the epipbyses and only exceptionally on juvenile diaphyses of the approximately same size, such as specimen no. 652 [16]. This is conditioned with the ability of large carnivores, i.e., physical restriction regarding the grip and muscle strength, and with the thinner cortical bone near epipbyses. Unlike animals, man was able to pierce holes along the entire femur diaphysis, regardless of the thickness of the cortical bone. While puncturing bones, people could choose among significantly more methods than animals, which instinctively always do exactly the same. Therefore, in the case of the artefact, it is easier to substantiate the problematic damage, including the above-mentioned depression near hole no. 3 on the posterior side of the diaphysis. Namely, in its vicinity, there are two parallel micro-scores on the abraded surface of the cortical bone (Figure 5), which could be interpreted as cut marks made by stone tools. These micro-scores are never mentioned by advocates of the carnivore origin of the holes. The possibility that people used a femur, the distal end of which was previously damaged by carnivores, is not ruled out. Regarding the absence of other microscopic traces related to manufacture, they could have been erased due to extremely strong corrosion in the layer comprising the find. Only the more distinct scores were preserved, as well as the dent(s) (pitting after [PERSON] [18]) made by teeth, which, considering their position, cannot be connected with certainty to the production of holes by compression and piercing with teeth. Due to their orientation and shape, all scores and dents, recognized by [PERSON] and colleagues, cannot be attributed to carnivores. Carnivores make scores with their teeth that are perpendicular or slightly oblique to the axis of the diaphysis.