[Bonetools] FW: Bone object - textile manufacture?

[FARRELL E.R.]

Hello,

I have a few bits of general information and questions on the object. It measures only 4mm in thickness; the total length is 66mm and width 18mm.

I am also curious if anyone has run across bone elements from horse tack before. A fellow student pointed me towards some horse bit cheekpieces on the Met Museum's website (one at http://www2.metmuseum.org/Collections/search-the-collections/30003482?rpp=20&pg=47&ao=on&ft=bone+egypt&pos=939) which are somewhat similar. The Met examples all seem to be Scythian, and are limited to three holes.

I have also found a 1967 report on ivory cheakpieces excavated at Nimrud which are of a different form, but do vary much more in the number of holes. Again what worries me with this hypothesis is the wear pattern; those comparative examples which do exhibit wear seem to be worn relatively evenly on all holes.


Dr. Poplin,

The break passing through the three holes is likely fresh, but the other piece is lost. I have photographs of the piece in 2009 and the break has already occurred. I do not know exactly when between 1922 and 2009 it was broken, but the other piece is unfortunately not in the museum archive.

I am very intrigued by the possibility that this might be crocodile bone. It might not impact function directly, but could certainly impact the social status attached.




Dr. Ayalon,

I had not checked Rodziewicz 2007, but I will certainly look through it. The library here at Durham does not have a copy though, so it may be a couple weeks before I can get an interlibrary loan copy.

The form of the object is very similar to the type of belt divider you sent a picture of.  The one issue is again the wear pattern on my object; only one hole exhibits significant wear. How mobile are the individual strands in a belt like that? Would it be feasible to have a similar belt spacer with some additional hanging decoration? Something like that - a belt divider or necklace spacer bead with an additional hanging component - is the only way I can think to have significantly more wear on a single hole.



Thanks to all,
Erik Farrell


________________________________
From: Etan Ayalon [etana at eretzmuseum.org.il]
Sent: 11 March 2013 11:38
To: FARRELL E.R.
Subject: belt divider


Dear Erik,
My suggestion that your object could be a belt divider or a weaving tablet referred to it as a whole item, before the edge broke. Learning now that it could be Egyptian strengthens these possibilities as bone objects in Egypt and Israel have a lot of similarities.
Attached is a bad photo of a modern bone belt divider from India (Ayalon 2005 [BAR 1457] Pl. 4), from which you can learn about its use.
As for a weaving tablet, I remember such which were not square but elongated with a row of holes, used to weave belts. I have to look for parallels but perhaps one of the references below might help you.
Have you checked E. Rodziewicz's book of 2007 about bone objects from Alexandria?
Etan


Crowfoot, G.M. 1931. Methods of Hand Spinning in Egypt and the Sudan. Halifax.

Collingwood, P. 1982. The Techniques of Tablet Weaving. London.


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