[Bonetools] Tuning pegs and screw threads

[François POPLIN]

une clé d'instrument à corde avec pas-de-vis me paraît une idée bizarre ; on ne peut serrer 


De: "Sonia O'Connor" <S.Oconnor at bradford.ac.uk> 
À: "Mailing list for archaeologists of the research group for the study of object and waste of bone, antler. ivory and horn." <bonetools at listserv.niif.hu> 
Cc: "Charles Kightly" <charles at kightly.plus.com> 
Envoyé: Jeudi 28 Mars 2019 15:36:13 
Objet: [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 19 th 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 16 th 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 19 th 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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-- 
François POPLIN 

Directeur honoraire de l’UMR 7209 Archéozoologie, Archébotanique : sociétés, pratiques et environnements 

Responsable du Séminaire d'Anthropozoologie 

Muséum national d'Histoire naturelle 
CP 56 
Ancien Laboratoire d’Anatomie comparée 
55, rue de Buffon 
75005 Paris 
01 40 79 33 11 
fax ------ 33 14 

francoispoplin.blogspot.com 
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