[Bonetools] Roman lion/tiger head knife handle

[Idoia Grau]

Dear all,

I am writing to ask for your help in finding examples similar to the object that you can see in the photos (please excuse me if they are not very good).
It was found in a Roman urban settlement in modern-day Basque Country, Spain. The context is dated to the second half of the 2nd or early 3rd centuries AD.
What has puzzled the archaeologists that recovered it is that the motiv of the decoration (it seems to be the head of a lion or tiger) is unknown for this region and chronology.
The archaeologists believe that it is a knife or clasp-knife handle.
Any comments are very welcome! Thank you in advance for your help.

Best wishes,
Idoia

Dr. Idoia Grau Sologestoa


Integrative Prähistorische und Naturwissenschaftliche Archäologie (IPNA)

Departement Umweltwissenschaften (DUW)

University of Basel, Switzerland


https://unibasel.academia.edu/IdoiaGrauSologestoa
https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Idoia_Sologestoa

Personal web page: https://sites.google.com/prod/view/zoociedad-zoociety

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