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Description: | An incomplete cast copper alloy Jews harp with some traces of iron corrosion, dating to the Post Medieval period, between AD 1550 ?? 1800 (length: 48mm; width at arms: 12mm; diameter at head: 21mm; thickness at head: 5mm; weight: 8.1g). The Jews harp is rounded in plan at the head with ??pincher?? straight-sided arms as well as having a lozenge-shaped section. The rounded head (outer diameter: see above; inner diameter: 10mm; thickness: see above) has traces of iron corrosion at a slight central restriction/ lip on the outside edge for the probable iron tongue, which is now missing. There is a slight kink to either side of the end of the rounded head, where the straight-sided arms (length of arms: 31mm) then protrude outwards to pointed tips, with the arms slightly moving inwards to nearly touch each other at the end (width of arms near head [widest point]: see above; width of arms near terminal [narrowest point: 6.5mm). The artefact is in a slightly worn but fair condition with a dark green patina. Similar examples are illustrated in Bailey, G, 1993, ??Detector Finds 2??, pages 76-7, ref nos 4-6, which also date to the 18th century AD. Bailey states [page 76] that the jews harps were used as a small musical instrument although ??the iron strip which was twanged to create the sound has usually rusted away and sometimes the only evidence of its existence is in the form of a rusty mark at the bow section of the harp??.Most jews harps can be attributed to the 17th or 18th centuries although, more rarely, medieval examples do turn up??. | Source: | Portable Antiquities | Creator: | Johnson, Caroline - Portable Antiquities Scheme | Identifier: | http://www.findsdatabase.org.uk/hms/pas_... | Language: | en-GB | Go to resource |
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