<html xmlns:v="urn:schemas-microsoft-com:vml" xmlns:o="urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:office" xmlns:w="urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:word" xmlns:m="http://schemas.microsoft.com/office/2004/12/omml" xmlns="http://www.w3.org/TR/REC-html40"><head><meta http-equiv=Content-Type content="text/html; charset=us-ascii"><meta name=Generator content="Microsoft Word 12 (filtered medium)"><title>Bone object - textile manufacture?</title><style><!--
/* Font Definitions */
@font-face
{font-family:SimSun;
panose-1:2 1 6 0 3 1 1 1 1 1;}
@font-face
{font-family:SimSun;
panose-1:2 1 6 0 3 1 1 1 1 1;}
@font-face
{font-family:Calibri;
panose-1:2 15 5 2 2 2 4 3 2 4;}
@font-face
{font-family:"\@SimSun";
panose-1:2 1 6 0 3 1 1 1 1 1;}
/* Style Definitions */
p.MsoNormal, li.MsoNormal, div.MsoNormal
{margin:0cm;
margin-bottom:.0001pt;
font-size:12.0pt;
font-family:"Times New Roman","serif";}
a:link, span.MsoHyperlink
{mso-style-priority:99;
color:blue;
text-decoration:underline;}
a:visited, span.MsoHyperlinkFollowed
{mso-style-priority:99;
color:purple;
text-decoration:underline;}
p
{mso-style-priority:99;
mso-margin-top-alt:auto;
margin-right:0cm;
mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto;
margin-left:0cm;
font-size:12.0pt;
font-family:"Times New Roman","serif";}
span.EmailStyle18
{mso-style-type:personal-reply;
font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif";
color:#1F497D;}
.MsoChpDefault
{mso-style-type:export-only;
font-size:10.0pt;}
@page WordSection1
{size:612.0pt 792.0pt;
margin:72.0pt 72.0pt 72.0pt 72.0pt;}
div.WordSection1
{page:WordSection1;}
--></style><!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
<o:shapedefaults v:ext="edit" spidmax="1026" />
</xml><![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
<o:shapelayout v:ext="edit">
<o:idmap v:ext="edit" data="1" />
</o:shapelayout></xml><![endif]--></head><body lang=EN-GB link=blue vlink=purple><div class=WordSection1><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif";color:#1F497D'>Dear All,<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif";color:#1F497D'><o:p> </o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif";color:#1F497D'>I am forwarding on this enquiry from a student at the University of Durham. I have objects like this, but not so thick, in wood and plastic on which I store my different coloured threads when I am working on an embroidery project. However the pattern of wear does not really support this use. Perhaps the wear and polish at the broken end suggests a reuse of something originally made for an entirely different purpose. If you have any suggestions or parallels, please let me know and I will forward them on to Erik.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif";color:#1F497D'><o:p> </o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif";color:#1F497D'>All the best,<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif";color:#1F497D'><o:p> </o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif";color:#1F497D'>Sonia<o:p></o:p></span></p><div><p class=MsoNormal style='margin-left:72.0pt'><span style='font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif";color:#1F497D'>Dr Sonia O'Connor </span><span style='font-size:8.0pt;font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif";color:#1F497D'>PhD FSA FIIC ACR Honorary Visiting Fellow, University of York</span><span style='font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif";color:#1F497D'><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal style='margin-left:72.0pt'><span style='font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif";color:#1F497D'>Post-doctoral Research Fellow<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal style='margin-left:72.0pt'><span style='font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif";color:#1F497D'>Archaeological Sciences<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal style='margin-left:72.0pt'><span style='font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif";color:#1F497D'>Division of AGES, <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal style='margin-left:72.0pt'><span style='font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif";color:#1F497D'>University of Bradford<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal style='margin-left:72.0pt'><span style='font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif";color:#1F497D'>Bradford, West Yorkshire, BD7 1DP, UK<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal style='margin-left:72.0pt'><span style='font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif";color:#1F497D'><o:p> </o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal style='margin-left:72.0pt'><span style='font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif";color:#1F497D'>tel 01274 23 6498 (office) 5210 (lab)<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal style='margin-left:72.0pt'><span style='font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif";color:#1F497D'>fax 01274 23 5210<o:p></o:p></span></p></div><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif";color:#1F497D'><o:p> </o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><p><span style='font-size:10.0pt'>Dear Dr. O'Connor,<br><br>My name is Erik Farrell; I am a student in the MA Artefact Conservation programme at Durham university, and am currently working on identifying a bone object for the Durham Oriental Museum. I suspect it to be either a tool associated with textile manufacture, or potentially an oddly shaped spacer bead, but because of the poor survival rate of textile tools am having a difficult time finding any comparable examples. I contacted Dr. Mary Brooks here at Durham, and she recommended I contact you as someone with expertise in both bone artefacts and textiles.<br><br>The object is made of bone; I am working on getting a species identification, but have managed to rule out ivory. It is from Egypt, but it is from an older collection, so I do not yet have a date range or cultural period.<br><br>You can see in the photos that the broken end is tapered on the surviving piece, and looks like it would have come to a point or a rounded point. There are holes along the entire length, but only the hole at the complete end shows wear; it looks like it has been worn by a thread passing through the hole, wrapped around the back end of the object. It is this wear pattern that makes me think textile manufacture may be an option. I don't really know what to make of the lack of comparable wear in the other holes.<br><br>I have attached the artefact photos and a scan of the archaeological drawing to this email. I am hoping your background and knowledge of bone objects and textile production may give some insight on potential uses for this object. I have also included a couple photos of breaks under the microscope on the chance that you might be able to give some insight into what sort of bone this is, but I know that sort of identification is usually done with the object in hand. Any information you can give me - even if it is just speculation on potential uses for a tool of this size and shape - would be greatly appreciated.<br><br>Thank you very much,<br><br>Erik Farrell</span><o:p></o:p></p></div></body></html>