[Bonetools] ivory(?) double bead dumbbell bead

[fiona beglane]

Dear all,
Thank you for those comments and suggestions.  It would make perfect sense for this to be two conjoined beads that have not yet been separated rather than a dumb bell bead - I had wondered about the asymmetric join between the beads.  This would fit much better with the site chronology as there is really very little evidence for Early Medieval activity.  The interpretation as rosary beads is also a very good fit as during the later medieval period this site was a Cistercian monastery. 

Thank you to Sonia for identifying both the material and the function, to all of you for your suggestions and to Marta for this excellent attached paper


Sonia - would you have a photomicrograph of ivory as a comparison to bone?  I would be very interested to see the difference between them.  I had assumed that the dark spots were smaller versions of the larger dark areas ie staining.  

All the best
Fiona

 






________________________________
 From: Marta Moreno García <marta.moreno at cchs.csic.es>
To: bonetools at listserv.niif.hu 
Sent: Wednesday, January 8, 2014 11:01 AM
Subject: Re: [Bonetools] ivory(?) double bead dumbbell bead
 


Dear Fiona and all, 

May be you would be interested in the following paper that I
      published with other colleagues in 2010. There you can find a
      detailed account of the process Sonia has described on her e-mail,
      regarding bead production. In the Spanish case we argued they were
      rosary beads.

Hope you enjoy the reading and happy New Year to all!

Best, 
Marta


El 08/01/2014 0:47, SA O'Connor escribió:

Dear Fiona, 
>
>Thank you for the additional images.  The visible features confirm
      that the object is bone, most probably turned from a thick strip
      of a large mammal longbone. 
>
>I have attached the two most diagnostic pictures. The whole bead
      shows the axially oriented, regularly spaced lines of dark spots
      and dashes formed by the vascular system of the bone. Your
      photomicrograph clearly shows a branching blood vessel in the
      bone. 
>
>I have some experience turning lace bobbins in bone and I think
      this 'dumbbell' bead may not be a single complete bead but two
      unfinished beads. 
>
>To make these beads you start with a length of compact bone tissue
      that is drilled down the centre. Several beads are turned along
      the bone strip in one go but are left attached to each other. When
      the shaping is complete the bone strip is removed from the lathe
      and only then is a cut made between the beads to separate them. 
      If you try to part the beads whilst they are turning on the lathe
      they will fly off in all directions when the chisel cuts through
      to the drilled hole! 
>
>If you look at the waist between the beads you will see that one
      side is vertical and the other sloped and marked with a deep
      groove. These features ensure that the beads are cut apart
      accurately. Either these beads were dropped before they could be
      separated or they were discarded because they were sub-standard. 
      Perhaps some of the visible surface blemishes were apparent when
      the bone was fresh. 
>
>Could they be Rosary beads? 
>
>All the best, 
>
>Sonia 
>
>Quoting fiona beglane <fionabeglane at yahoo.com>: 
>
>
>See the attached image.  I have this double bead which seems to be made of ivory.  It was found on a medieval and post medieval site in Ireland.  L=10.14mm, dia=5.55mm and is perforated.  I know that double beads have been found in early medieval sites in Ireland - usually made of glass.  Does anyone know of any other bone or ivory examples from Ireland or elsewhere? 
>>Thank you all 
>>
>>Fiona 
>>
>
>
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-- 
Dra. Marta Moreno-García
G.I. Arqueobiología.
Instituto de Historia
Centro de Ciencias Humanas y Sociales (CCHS). CSIC
Albasanz 26-28. 28037 Madrid. Spain
Tel: +34 91 6022384
e-mail: marta.moreno at cchs.csic.es
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