[Bonetools] Brushes

[Marit Gaimster]

Hi Ariel,

The reason there are no incisions on the back of your toothbrushes is that they were made using a different technique. Where the graves at the back were for securing the copper-alloy wire that held the tufts together, on your toothbrushes tunnels were drilled from the end of the head, joining the drilled holes; the bristle was then attached with the help of a looped wire that was pushed through the tunnel and up through each hole. To create a smooth finish, the tiny tunnel holes were then plugged!

Best wishes from Marit


From: Bonetools [mailto:bonetools-bounces at listserv.niif.hu] On Behalf Of Ariel Shatil
Sent: 30 April 2014 06:57
To: Mailing list for archaeologists of the research group for the study of object and waste of bone, antler. ivory and horn.
Subject: [Bonetools] Brushes

Dear list,
A few weeks or months ago Etan Ayalon asked for parallels to a fragment of a tooth brush from Wadi al-Sheih (Haifa, Israel). Here are a few fragments of tooth brushes from Jerusalem probably dating to the late Ottoman period or British Mandate. They are only slightly different from Etan's brushes (there are no line incisions on the back). Some of them have holes piercing through the brush, so maybe they were attached to a frame from a different material?
Another interesting brush is a large rectangular one with many holes, all of them pierce through the object, so it must have had a frame of wood, horn or other material or it was double sided. The rims around the circumference are painted brown-red, and on the sides there are the remains of a hard flaky substance (maybe glue). The holes are arranged in a nice pattern - two high rimed holes surrounded by 8 regular holes.The opposite surface is completely flat without the alternating high rimed holes (therefore I think it was covered).

--
Ariel Shatil
Institute of Archaeology
The Hebrew University, Jerusalem
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