Composite Antler Comb
This dual sided antler comb was discovered in a grave at the West Stow archaeological site. The comb was discovered alongside 105 other combs of similar design at the archaeological site, pointing to them ubiquitous in Anglo-Saxon England. The function of the comb is somewhat self explanatory in its grooming capacity, however another function was the maintenance of hygiene via the removal of lice. The comb itself is constructed out of antler, being formed out of two handle plates and a series of tooth plates held together through specialized rivets hammered through both the side plates and tooth plates. Once the plates are riveted together, the teeth are sawed into the plates and filed. Additionally, it was determined by the research team that many of the combs were created by two distinct artisans, pointing to the historical presence of specialized bone and antler workers.
To reconstruct the comb I used iron files, a bow saw, and a power drill on a base of sheet resin with screws used in place of rivets. While the iron file and bow saw are rough modern equivalents of the tools historically employed, concessions were made in the use of a power drill and screws as I didn’t have access to rivets that were capable of being used with my comb. In recreating the comb the skills required to successfully manipulate antler, a harder substance than what I used, with tools of lower quality than my modern equivalents became readily apparent. Additionally, I was entirely incapable of creating comb teeth of any size approximating that of the historical comb without breaking them. The historical mass scale production of these combs coupled with the difficulty of their construction has given me insight into the incredible skill of this stratum of artisans and the patience they must have had to habitually engage in the construction of these combs.
By: Aidan Wylie
For further reading on Anglo-Saxon antler combs, read: https://moodle.carleton.edu/pluginfile.php/1065553/mod_resource/content/0/LeahyK_2003_Anglo-Saxon_Crafts3_Bones.pdf – (54-58)
