[Bonetools] Beading on comb teeth
Anne Brundle
Anne.brundle at orkney.gov.uk
Fri Oct 23 10:40:44 CEST 2009
I've just looked back over the Orkney combs and realize that there is
beading at the bases of the teeth in this double-sided comb from
Saevarhowe in Birsay (Orkney Museum SH 1984.325). The more heavily-worn
combs in our collection tend to be those with copper-alloy rivets, and
the beading tends to be towards the points. See the comb from Pool, top
right in the attached image.
Is there a fundamental difference in action between combing long and
short hair? I think managing long hair might well use the whole length
of the teeth but shorter hair wouldn't.
Anne
________________________________
From: bonetools-bounces at listserv.niif.hu
[mailto:bonetools-bounces at listserv.niif.hu] On Behalf Of Alice Choyke
Sent: 22 October 2009 18:29
To: Mailing list for archaeologists of the research group for the study
ofobject and waste of bone,antler. ivory and horn.
Subject: Re: [Bonetools] Beading on comb teeth
Yes, but how often do you see a comb that was used by an entire family
daily for almost 40 years?
A.
On Thu, Oct 22, 2009 at 6:03 PM, S O'Connor <S.Oconnor at bradford.ac.uk>
wrote:
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
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: 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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