[Bonetools] BONE USE IN GRIPS OF WEAPONS

Wed Apr 15 11:57:22 CEST 2009

Hi Sonia, Alice & Maroles, and others,

I am responding to you directly because of your help and detailed responses. Many thanks fro your input.

However, my focus is more narrow. My purpose is to determine only the most prevalent materials made from bone that were used in European military knife or sword hilts, not all the possible materials that were used. The period of interest is from 1600 - 1900. I also am trying to establish, if possible, a  means of identifying the type of bone used without resorting to laboratory analysis.

One of my contacts, an expert in the field of antique weapons, told me bovine horn was a leading candidate. I never thought of it, and frankly I haven't seen a hilt that I would recognize as cow or steer horn. Have any of you seen a hilt made this way? Sonia mentioned antler which is a very common material for hunting swords and knife hilts, but not used much in the area of military weapons after the late 1700's. 

In regard to whalebone, it was  used for many sailor made artifacts which is clearly identified as such, but none of the numerous reference works devoted to edged weapons say it was used for them. It may have been used for shipboard made knives and cutlasses, but to my knowledge there is no records of this. 

Elephant tusks, Sperm whale teeth, Walrus tusks, and Hippo teeth, are sources of ivory hilts, but this  is outside the scope of my research. Another example is Mother of Pearl which is a common hilt material on the M1820-M1842 US officers swords, but this also is not bone matter.

As Sonia pointed out identification of bone is difficult because the end and underside of the hilt material are covered by the tang, pommel and guard unless the bone edges shows due to damage to the metal work.

This picture is of a cavalry sword hilt made Ca 1805, likely by the English Ketland firm. The hilt, in my opinion, is bone rather than ivory, as shown by the dried flecks of blood grain in the marrow or pores.  But what kind of bone?

I plan to contact Mathew Collins as Sonia suggested and pose these questions to him.

Many thanks for your help and your further input. All the best,

Joel Jacobs

  ----- Original Message ----- 
  From: S O'Connor 
  To: 'Mailing list for archaeologists of the research group for thestudy ofobject and waste of bone,antler. ivory and horn.' 
  Sent: Tuesday, April 14, 2009 10:46 AM
  Subject: Re: [Bonetools] BONE USE IN GRIPS OF WEAPONS

  Dear Joel, 

  I've been out of email contact so have only just found this email string.  

  I've not dealt with much material of this period but I have several late 19th/early 20th table knives in my teaching collection, the handles of which are solid strips of compact bone drilled to take a tang and are probably cattle bone. Small scale tang knives or pocket knives could have handles of strips from smaller bones so pig and deer might not be entirely ruled out but would not, I agree, be suitable for a serious weapon. 

  Earlier examples of weapon handles that do spring to mind are all from tubes of bone of a size that had to be cut from the shaft of at least a cattle or horse longbone, or from solid slabs of whale bone. Antler is also used.  

  Looking at the worked surface of the handle does not often provide enough information to allow species ID but the large scale of the vascular features of whale bone can distinguish it from horse or cattle.  In all cases it helps to be able to see the cross-section of the handle to:

  ·         gauge the thickness of the bone and the contours of any natural internal cavity (species and skeletal element ID)

  ·         look at the extent and distribution of secondary osteones (which are particularly prolific in whale bone)

  ·         examine the organisation of the compact bone tissue and the presence and characteristics of any spongy bone (differentiating post cranial bone from antler and, if it is antler, then possibly the identification of the species of deer).

  Sadly, unless the handle is damaged (the end section of the handle is often obscured by fittings or corrosion) species ID is generally difficult to pursue beyond saying, for instance, that the handle is made from sections of a longbone from a large mammal.

  Some handles of the period you are interested in may also be made from bones of non-cetacean marine mammals, such as the ribs of Stellar's sea cow (now extinct) or sections of walrus os penis (baculum). The walrus os penis can be as long as a man's arm and several centimetres in diameter. I think Marloes had bone handled knives of probable walrus os penis from post medieval deposits in Amsterdam.

  Finally, where morphological or histological evidence is inconclusive, it may be possible to get species ID from analysis of surviving non-structural proteins in the bone.  Prof Matthew Collins, Archaeological Sciences, University of York, heads a team specialising in ancient biomolecule analysis and they have had some success in this area.

  Hope this all helps.

  Sonia

  Dr Sonia O'Connor FSA FIIC ACR

  Research Fellow in Conservation

  Archaeological Sciences, Division of AGES

  University of Bradford

  Bradford, West Yorkshire BD7 1DP

  Tel 01274 236498 (office), Tel 01274 235210 (lab.), Fax 01274 235190 

  X-Radiography of Textiles, Dress and Related Materials by Sonia O'Connor and Mary BrooksCheck it out at http://books.elsevier.com/uk//Elsevier/uk/subindex.asp?maintarget=&isbn=0750666323

  -----Original Message-----
  From: bonetools-bounces at listserv.niif.hu [mailto:bonetools-bounces at listserv.niif.hu] On Behalf Of h13017cho at helka.iif.hu
  Sent: 12 April 2009 20:08
  To: Mailing list for archaeologists of the research group for the study ofobject and waste of bone,antler. ivory and horn.
  Subject: Re: [Bonetools] BONE USE IN GRIPS OF WEAPONS

  Dear Joel,

       Antler would also make excellent grips for daggers at least -  at least that was the case 

  here in Hungary. Sonia O'Connor must have data on this question. 

  Best,

  Alice Choyke

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