[Bonetools] Tuning pegs and screw threads

[Martin Foreman]

Dear Sonia,

Nice to hear you live and breathe! Is Graeme Lawson [Cambridge Archaeological Music Project; I had contact and assistance from him c.1985] as lucky? - if so, he would be a good person to comment,

Best wishes,

Martin

Martin Foreman

Finds Liaison Officer

Participation and Achievement

Learning, Skills and Culture

North Lincolnshire Museum, (Monday to Friday)

North Lincolnshire Museum, Oswald Road, Scunthorpe DN157BD telephone: (01724) 297055

________________________________
From: Bonetools <bonetools-bounces at listserv.niif.hu> on behalf of Sonia O'Connor <S.Oconnor at bradford.ac.uk>
Sent: 28 March 2019 14:36
To: Bonetools at listserv.niif.hu
Cc: Charles Kightly
Subject: [Bonetools] Tuning pegs and screw threads

Dear all,

I am circulating this object on behalf of Charles Kightly. It was found in St Denys churchyard, York UK. The current mediaeval and Victorian church stands on the foundations of an Anglo-Scandinavian church of around 950AD, below which is a substantial Roman building that has produced a 2nd-3rd century altar. There is no real dating evidence for this piece as it was found in heavily disturbed soil, just below the surface of the churchyard. Other finds in the area ranged from sherds of Parisian ware Roman pottery, 17th century pipe bowls, an 1860s perfume bottle and a 1920s lipstick holder. So there's a wide range of possibilities.

The object has maximum dimensions of length=42mm, height=22mm, width=6mm and looking at the bone structure (from the photographs) I think it could be cetacean bone.
It is described as a 'Bone decorative fitting fragment, comprising of a decoratively cut sub-square plate with incomplete tubular extension at one end with internal screw thread'. There are only parts of two grooves of the screw thread surviving. It has been interpreted as possibly a tuning peg for a musical instrument and it is suggested that because it has a screw thread that it probably dates from the 19th century onwards.

Charles asks if anyone has seen anything like this, of any period, and for opinions as to whether it would function as a tuning peg. He also points out that hand-cut screw threads are known from at least the 16th century so if this is hand cut the object could be earlier in date.  Has anyone seen examples of bone objects with screw threads earlier than the 19th century? How easy is it to distinguish hand cut from machine cut threads? I've seen lathe turning evidence on Roman bone objects and plenty of Victorian composite objects where bone components are joined with screw threads but when does this practice begin?

All the best,

Sonia


[For WRBG friends who may not know: the]




Dr Sonia O'Connor PhD FSA FIIC ACR Honorary Visiting Fellow, University of York
Post-doctoral Researcher
Archaeological Sciences
Division of AGES
University of Bradford
Bradford, West Yorkshire, BD7 1DP

Tel 01274 236498

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