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Description: | A copper alloy probable tile comb dating from the Roman period which is 84mm long, 29mm wide and 5mm thick. It has a square sectioned stem with a broken loop at one end which is in the same plane as the stem. At the other end the stem becomes thinner and then flares sideways into a cross bar. Only one half of this survives but the break is worn and patinated. The back of the bar is concave and has a small pointed projection at the outer edge. The front is crimped like a pastry jigger with the indentations alternately from one side and then the other to leave a wiggly line along the edge. This tool was probably used for incising lines on Roman tiles
A small number of similar tile combs have been recorded both by the Portable Antiquities Scheme (HESH-C8AD58, BERK-5D1C21, WMID3842 and WMID2802) and other local museums. One of these examples has been published by Roger White (1997 A Roman Tile Comb from Hanley Hall, Shropshire; in CBA West Midlands Archaeology 40 pp 14-15). Another tile comb can be seen in G. De la Bedoyere Finds of Roman Britain (pp 58-59 fig 34b).
There is some doubt as to the item described above being a tile comb. An alternative interpretation of this artefact is that it could be an 18th century pastry cutter or jigger. These have similar impression edges. A possible parallel for this interpretation can be seen in Gordon Bailey's: Detector Finds; 1997. p96 example 2. The broken loop on this example could also be the top of a fork to hold the wheeled part of a typical pastry jigger. However, the patina and the nature of the site where it was found suggest that a Roman date is more likely. | Subjects: | tile comb | Source: | Portable Antiquities | Creator: | Cooper, Amy - Portable Antiquities Scheme | Identifier: | http://www.findsdatabase.org.uk/hms/pas_... | Language: | en-GB | Go to resource |
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