[Bonetools] ivory(?) double bead dumbbell bead

Mon Jan 13 18:38:34 CET 2014

Dear Fiona,

Here are a couple of images of elephant ivory for comparison with your bone.

Ivory (dentine), of course, has no vascular system but is finely laminar
(see smooth surface of image 1). Elephant ivory exhibits Schreger lines (due
to the regular organisation of the dentinal tubules) that form the
characteristic cross-hatching of the transverse section and the irregular
striated appearance to the longitudinal surfaces (image 2).  In
archaeological examples these features can be made clearly visible by
staining. The surface of concentric fractures which develop between the
lamellae of elephant ivory have a distinctive, longitudinally corrugated
appearance (see damaged area, image 1).  I hope this helps.

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

From: bonetools-bounces at listserv.niif.hu
[mailto:bonetools-bounces at listserv.niif.hu] On Behalf Of fiona beglane
Sent: 09 January 2014 21:53
To: Mailing list for archaeologists of the research group for the study of
object and waste of bone, antler. ivory and horn.
Subject: Re: [Bonetools] ivory(?) double bead dumbbell bead

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  <mailto:fionabeglane at yahoo.com>
<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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