[Bonetools] Fwd: A strange antler tool

S O'Connor S.Oconnor at Bradford.ac.uk
Mon Mar 7 15:33:04 CET 2011


Dear All,

 

I’ve just been looking at some bone plaques used for tablet weaving and the
amount of wear on the holes in these tablets, just from a spun thread, is
quite considerable.   If, for instance, this antler object was used for
preparing a warp for weaving, I would expect to see wear of this type in the
grooves.  If the grooves were used for guiding metal wire, then again I
would expect to see evidence on the cut edges of wear, and deep cuts if the
wire had been under any tension.  Can we see some close-up of the edges of
the grooves?

 

Thanks,

 

Sonia 

 

Dr Sonia O'Connor PhD FSA FIIC ACR Honorary Visiting Fellow, University of
York

Post-doctoral Research Fellow

Archaeological Sciences

Division of AGES,  

University of Bradford

Bradford, West Yorkshire, BD7 1DP, UK

 

tel 01274 23 6498 (office) 5210 (lab)

fax 01274 23 5210

 

From: bonetools-bounces at listserv.niif.hu
[mailto:bonetools-bounces at listserv.niif.hu] On Behalf Of Alice Choyke
Sent: 05 March 2011 18:03
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] Fwd: A strange antler tool

 

So - are we back at the mechnanism idea or what? Sonia - do you have any
ideas? Or Marloes with your strange 16th-17th centruy objects?

 

Alice

On Sat, Mar 5, 2011 at 5:38 PM, Etan Ayalon <etana at eretzmuseum.org.il>
wrote:

I think metal threads would have left deep scratches in the soft antler,
which the photo doesn't show.
Etan Ayalon

________________________________

From: bonetools-bounces at listserv.niif.hu on behalf of Alice Choyke
Sent: Sat 3/5/2011 2:51 AM

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



But to return to poor Michael's original object - I really wonder whether
this could be a draw plate for metal threads given how soft antler is. It is
really a puzzle.

Alice


On Fri, Mar 4, 2011 at 5:42 PM, S O'Connor <S.Oconnor at bradford.ac.uk> wrote:


       The name for this is a draw plate.



       Sonia



       Dr Sonia O'Connor PhD FSA FIIC ACR Honorary Visiting Fellow,
University of York

       Post-doctoral Research Fellow

       Archaeological Sciences

       Division of AGES,

       University of Bradford

       Bradford, West Yorkshire, BD7 1DP, UK



       tel 01274 23 6498 (office) 5210 (lab)

       fax 01274 23 5210



       From: bonetools-bounces at listserv.niif.hu
[mailto:bonetools-bounces at listserv.niif.hu] On Behalf Of Gun-Britt
       Sent: 04 March 2011 12:09
       To: Mailing list for archaeologists of the research group for
thestudy of object and waste of bone, antler. ivory and horn.

       Subject: Re: [Bonetools] Fwd: A strange antler tool







       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

        <http://62.90.210.236:801/exchange/etana/Drafts/image001.jpg>

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









               From: Etan Ayalon <mailto:etana at eretzmuseum.org.il>

               To: Mailing list for archaeologists of the research group for
thestudy ofobjectand waste of bone, antler. ivory and horn.
<mailto:bonetools at listserv.niif.hu>


               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




________________________________


               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
<mailto:info at knochenarbeit.de>

                       To: BONETOOLS of bone
<mailto:bonetools at listserv.niif.hu>

                       Cc: Michael Olausson
<mailto:michael.olausson673 at gmail.com>

                       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
<http://www.wbrg.net/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=33&Itemid=20>
&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



 
<http://62.90.210.236:801/exchange/etana/Drafts/image002.jpg>


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