[Bonetools] FW: Bone object - textile manufacture?

[S O'Connor]

Dear All,

 

I am forwarding on this enquiry from a student at the University of Durham.
I have objects like this, but not so thick, in wood and plastic on which I
store my different coloured threads when I am working on an embroidery
project.  However the pattern of wear does not really support this use.
Perhaps the wear and polish at the broken end suggests a reuse of something
originally made for an entirely different purpose.  If you have any
suggestions or parallels, please let me know and I will forward them on to
Erik.

 

All the best,

 

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

 

 

Dear Dr. O'Connor,

My name is Erik Farrell; I am a student in the MA Artefact Conservation
programme at Durham university, and am currently working on identifying a
bone object for the Durham Oriental Museum. I suspect it to be either a tool
associated with textile manufacture, or potentially an oddly shaped spacer
bead, but because of the poor survival rate of textile tools am having a
difficult time finding any comparable examples. I contacted Dr. Mary Brooks
here at Durham, and she recommended I contact you as someone with expertise
in both bone artefacts and textiles.

The object is made of bone; I am working on getting a species
identification, but have managed to rule out ivory. It is from Egypt, but it
is from an older collection, so I do not yet have a date range or cultural
period.

You can see in the photos that the broken end is tapered on the surviving
piece, and looks like it would have come to a point or a rounded point.
There are holes along the entire length, but only the hole at the complete
end shows wear; it looks like it has been worn by a thread passing through
the hole, wrapped around the back end of the object. It is this wear pattern
that makes me think textile manufacture may be an option. I don't really
know what to make of the lack of comparable wear in the other holes.

I have attached the artefact photos and a scan of the archaeological drawing
to this email. I am hoping your background and knowledge of bone objects and
textile production may give some insight on potential uses for this object.
I have also included a couple photos of breaks under the microscope on the
chance that you might be able to give some insight into what sort of bone
this is, but I know that sort of identification is usually done with the
object in hand. Any information you can give me - even if it is just
speculation on potential uses for a tool of this size and shape - would be
greatly appreciated.

Thank you very much,

Erik Farrell

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