[Bonetools] Fwd: A strange antler tool

Fri Mar 4 13:09:27 CET 2011

Hi and sorry for delayed answer.

I try to attach the drawing I made, and I hope you understand how I think-this would mean (I guess) that perhaps a "top" to this tool is missing, or if not, that they - like Etan suggested - used it for thongs or something softer and just used their finger to "top" it...i.e. to stop the what-ever-they-were-using to slip out of the groove. Sorry about the size, and hope it works,
**Gun-Britt, Sweden

  ----- Original Message ----- 

  From: Etan Ayalon 
  To: Mailing list for archaeologists of the research group for thestudy ofobjectand waste of bone, antler. ivory and horn. 
  Sent: Wednesday, March 02, 2011 7:12 AM
  Subject: Re: [Bonetools] Fwd: A strange antler tool

  Dear all,
  In the Levant, at least, such metal threads were traditionally made by goldsmiths with a different tool - a piece of metal with many small holes of various diameters. This piece was mounted on a wooden base equipped with a small pulley on each side. The thread was tied to one pulley, passed through the largest hole and pulled through it using the other pulley. Then it was transferred to the next, smaller hole etc. etc.

  I was thinking about a tool used to straighten or strech strings and thongs, made for instance of leather, by holding one of them in one of the tool's slices, locking it in place with the finger and then pulling the tool along the string.
  Etan Ayalon

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  From: bonetools-bounces at listserv.niif.hu [mailto:bonetools-bounces at listserv.niif.hu] On Behalf Of Alice Choyke
  Sent: Tuesday, March 01, 2011 11:07 PM
  To: Mailing list for archaeologists of the research group for the study ofobject and waste of bone,antler. ivory and horn.
  Subject: Re: [Bonetools] Fwd: A strange antler tool

  Dear Gun-Britt,
      Could you send us a picture of this tool and explain how it works? I have never heard about such things and am now very curious indeed.

  Cheers!
  Alice

  On Tue, Mar 1, 2011 at 9:02 PM, Gun-Britt <lazy-b at algonet.se> wrote:

    Hello all,

    I am a lurking list-member, just enjoying reading all your inputs. I think too toward a metalworking tool, in making threads of metal of different thicknesses. It sure looks like a sort of "key" or mechanism, but hey, I have done some goldsmithing, and we used a similar tool to pull the metal into thinner and thinner threads. Hard work, but tin - as suggested earlier - is a very soft metal. 

    Just a thought,
    Please continue,
    Love and blessings,
    **Gun-Britt Blomdahl
    5th year, thesis-writing at Linnaeus University, Kalmar, Sweden

      ----- Original Message ----- 
      From: Christian Küchelmann 
      To: BONETOOLS of bone 
      Cc: Michael Olausson 
      Sent: Tuesday, March 01, 2011 6:12 PM
      Subject: [Bonetools] Fwd: A strange antler tool

      Dear all,

      following up a request by Michael Olausson that has already been sent to the list by Alice last week (see below) I would like to add that the tool is now permanently visible for further discussion on the Mystery bone tool page of the WBRG website at 
      http://www.wbrg.net/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=33&Itemid=20

      Best

      Christian

      --------
      Dear All,
          I am forwarding a letter and photo from a Swedish colleague. Another strange tool. It looks like some part of a mechanism - a locking mechanism? However Michael Olausson also says it has some resemblances to a tool used by the Sami for producing tin thread! If you reply to Michael could you also please CC the list so we can all read about it?

      Alice

      ---------- Forwarded message ----------
      From: Michael Olausson <michael.olausson673 at gmail.com>
      Date: Wed, Feb 23, 2011 at 8:55 AM
      Subject: A strange antler tool
      To: h13017cho at helka.iif.hu

      Dear Dr. Alice Choyke,
      Dr Kordula Gostencnik suggested that I should contact You in this
      matter. I will send You my letter to her as well with the picture of
      the item. Dr Gostencnik dod�t regard the toll as one conected to
      textil handcraft. She suggestes that it might be a toy, I do not agree
      with her, if it should look like a "bear" then it should be made as a
      bear! Since there are three differnt kinds of "measurements" of the
      teeth, I radaer would thinkt that it has been used to make threads ore
      to measure threads. We have a little discussion in Stockholm if it
      could be used for metal, silver and gold.
      The tool wich has many similarties with a Roman antler key, was found
      in mixed layers on a house terrace on the hilltop site,

      "H�hensiedlung" Runsa frpm the 5th & 6th centuries. 

      It would be nice if You could have some ideas, references.

      Yours Sincerely
      Michael Olausson
      ass.prof

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