[Bonetools] roman needles

[Marloes Rijkelijkhuizen]

Dear Etan,

 

Thank you very much for your clear answer. I think the wear (see photo) very much looks like wear that you would suspect on a needle?

(I still haven't received any context information)

 

Best wishes, Marloes
 


Date: Sun, 1 Nov 2009 08:04:48 +0200
From: etana at eretzmuseum.org.il
To: bonetools at listserv.niif.hu
Subject: Re: [Bonetools] roman needles




Dear Marloes,
Indeed some scholars have been wondering for years wether these are needles or something else, especially as metal needles appeared in larger numbers in the Roman period. It was suggested, for instance, that tey were hair or clothes pins. Signs to look for:  a needle should show a lot more use wear on the tip and shaft and around the eye than a pin. In many pins the shaft was intentionally left rough to avoid them of falling out of the hair or the clothes, while the shaft of a needle should be smooth of work. If the top of the object is relatively wide or thick, one should also wonder if it is a needle, as it could cause damage to the cloth (but don't forget other uses of needles, such as for medicine, with leather etc.). It is worth checking if the tops of your "needles" show use wear - a known phenomena - which hints that some work was done with them too. Finally - some of these objects were probably kohl sticks (as shown in Greek art) and indeed some Caesarea needles checked by me bear remains of reddish-brown material on their tips. We tried to check the material in the Weizmann Institute but couldn't get a definite answer as to their character.
You can find more, with references, in my report on the Caesarea bone tools (BAR IS 1457, 2005, pp. 24-25.
Etan 



From: bonetools-bounces at listserv.niif.hu [mailto:bonetools-bounces at listserv.niif.hu] On Behalf Of Marloes Rijkelijkhuizen
Sent: Sunday, October 25, 2009 1:06 PM
To: bonetools at listserv.niif.hu
Subject: [Bonetools] roman needles



 Some Roman needles from Holland (no further context information received..).
 
Any special things I can write about or pay attention to?
 
Best, Marloes



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