[Bonetools] bonze age ivory comb

[S O'Connor]

Dear Corina,

I am interested to know how INCENTIVS determined the comb was Loxodonta
africana africana. Is this published?

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

-----Original Message-----
From: bonetools-bounces at listserv.niif.hu
[mailto:bonetools-bounces at listserv.niif.hu] On Behalf Of
corina.liesau at uam.es
Sent: 03 May 2012 20:23
To: Mailing list for archaeologists of the research group for the study of
object and waste of bone, antler. ivory and horn.
Subject: [Bonetools] bonze age ivory comb


Dear all,
I would like to ask the experts about the bone technology in a Bronze Age
comb (1750-1650a.C) from the southeast of the Iberian Península.  
This is not a unique case, but rare. The INCENTIVS studies made in Mainz
reveal that it was made from Loxodonta africana africana.

Size: 50 mm long and 4mm thick. Spaces between the teeth are 0,2 mm and when
they got broken, the comb continued to be used exhaustively, so it seems to
be a functional comb.

I'm specially interested in the technology of the comb. Copper saws are
known in Iberia from that time but it is not possible to get so narrow teeth
and the awls are made with copper and some arsenic and I'm not sure if they
would be able to make these teeth.

My hypothesis is that this comb could be a lice-comb. I do not discard that
the holes are to have a better grip of it, especially to avoid slithering if
any oily product was applied on the hair to capture lice. Small distances
allow in modern lice combs to “capture” adult lice and also nits.

Some Aegean combs have similar shapes, but not these big holes. Does anybody
have any suggestions about the technology and use of this comb?

Thanks in advance

In the next mail I send a pdf about another ivory pieces from iberian
Bellbeaker inhumations.

**********************************
Corina Liesau von Lettow-Vorbeck

Dpto. De Prehistoria y Arqueología
Facultad de Filosofía y Letras
Universidad Autónoma de Madrid
C/Francisco Tomás y Valiente 1
28049 Madrid
Tel:  00 34 91 4972012
Fax: 00 34 91 4974435