[Bonetools] Beading on comb teeth
S O'Connor
S.Oconnor at Bradford.ac.uk
Thu Oct 22 18:03:22 CEST 2009
Thanks Alice. As Anne says, the wear on the horn comb teeth is at a
different location. Your pictures of bone, antler and ivory comb tooth wear
are more what I am used to seeing. Marloes has had lots of horn combs and I
don't remember wear down at the bottom of the teeth like that on hers
(please do correct me Marloes if I am wrong), so perhaps the way the comb is
being used here is an important factor.
Sonia
So ne yaDr Sonia O'Connor FSA FIIC ACR
Archaeological Sciences
Division of AGES, University of Bradford
Bradford, West Yorkshire, BD7 1DP
UK.
tel 01274 23 6498 (office) 5210 (lab)
fax 01274 23 5190
From: bonetools-bounces at listserv.niif.hu
[mailto:bonetools-bounces at listserv.niif.hu] On Behalf Of Alice Choyke
Sent: 22 October 2009 14:40
To: Mailing list for archaeologists of the research group for the study of
object and waste of bone, antler. ivory and horn.
Subject: Re: [Bonetools] Beading on comb teeth
Dear Sonia and other comb enthusiasts,
I am sending images of a VERY worn ivory comb from Visegrad that I
suspect was used frist by a Hungagarian owner and then for genration by the
'new' Ottoman owners. Thee is als oan example of wear on a 15 year old bone
comb that used to belon to a friend of mine who used it everyday, twice a
day with long hair, a less used but still quite worn ivory late medieval
comb from Buda and a quite worn antler comb from a AD 3rd c. Sarmation
settlement. Enjoy!
Alice
On Thu, Oct 22, 2009 at 11:16 AM, S O'Connor <S.Oconnor at bradford.ac.uk>
wrote:
Dear All,
I must add that all these materials, will probably wear at different rates.
Also the detailed form of the wear will probably vary between these
materials, as the pattern of this should reflect a combination of the
function of the comb, the material of the comb and the structure of that
material.
Horn is formed from layers (visible in Alice's photo) of finely corrugated
sheets of mineral stiffened keratin protein. Working of the surface of the
comb exposes these layers at the sides and edges of the teeth. If these
layers wear at different rates (perhaps due to differences in mineralisation
or organisation of the protein matrix) this will produce slight grooves in
the surfaces of the comb teeth were the more readily worn layers are
exposed. Once these grooves are formed the hair will catch in them,
increasing the wear at these points. As the grooves get more pronounced
more fibres will get funnelled into them as the comb is pulled thought the
hair, increasing the wear still further at these points (even into more
resistant layers of the horn) eventually causing the 'beading'.
Bone and antler are more heavily mineralised than horn, their organic
component is collagen rather than keratin, and their structures are entirely
different to horn. In addition, the physical properties and structure of
bone compact tissue are different to those of antler. So although the
mechanism of wear (abrasion by hair/grease/dirt combination) is the same,
the 'necking' or 'beading' produced should be different in detail in these
different materials. Has anyone observed this or done any experimental work
in this area?
Sonia
Dr Sonia O'Connor FSA FIIC ACR
Archaeological Sciences
Division of AGES, University of Bradford
Bradford, West Yorkshire, BD7 1DP
UK.
tel 01274 23 6498 (office) 5210 (lab)
fax 01274 23 5190
From: bonetools-bounces at listserv.niif.hu
[mailto:bonetools-bounces at listserv.niif.hu] On Behalf Of Alice Choyke
Sent: 21 October 2009 21:53
To: tonya.largy at verizon.net; Mailing list for archaeologists of the research
group for the study of object and waste of bone, antler. ivory and horn.
Subject: Re: [Bonetools] Beading on comb teeth
For example - this is a horn comb from the romanian village of Szek which
was in use by a family daily for around 40 years.
Alice
On Wed, Oct 21, 2009 at 6:59 PM, Tonya Largy <tonya.largy at verizon.net>
wrote:
Could someone send a photo of a comb with "beading" on the teeth? This is a
new concept to me.
Thank you,
Tonya Largy
Alice Choyke wrote:
One thingI can say that the notching or beading on bone/antler/horn/ivory
combs seems to start seriously developing after ten years. I have an example
of daily use by a single individual (I will send you my comb article) with
long hair who used the comb (bone) primarily to clean her hair of grit after
a day in the fields. Her family had another comb (this one of horn) which
was used for similar purposes by everyone in the family for about 20 years
and then by the mother alone for another 20 before being put away. That one
has very pronounced 'beading' on it. I think the lesson to draw is that
specialists have seriously underestimated the length of time such objects
were used in the past. If I forget to send my article remind me.
Best,
Alice
On Wed, Oct 21, 2009 at 12:57 PM, Anne Brundle <Anne.brundle at orkney.gov.uk
<mailto:Anne.brundle at orkney.gov.uk>> wrote:
Does anyone on the list know of any studies of how quickly the
teeth of bone or antler toilet combs may become beaded? And might
the way hair was treated make a difference to the extent of wear?
Sorry if this is a perennial question, I only just joined!
Thanks
Anne
Anne Brundle
Curator of Archaeology
The Orkney Museum
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