Hmm, not sure about telling the species - almost all horn (other than
genuine cattle) for working is now asiatic - you can get chunks up to a foot
or so curvature which are still solid and black all the way through, the
grey area is only the ridged outside area (is that the grey? or do they mean
another species?). I've got asiatic bits like that but all the 'pretty' horn
cups etc with mixed colours including grey are always made with cattle. not
sure whether this book tells you what they imported? Taylor, Wilmot. The
Sheffield horn industry. Sheffield, [England]: J.W. Northend, 1927. this
webpage also has bits from it and a list of prices at the London auctions
http://www.oregonknifeclub.org/horn.html
Sheila
SH-D ArchaeoZoology
http://www.shd-archzoo.co.uk
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----- Original Message -----
From: "Umberto Albarella" <[log in to unmask]>
To: <[log in to unmask]>
Sent: Tuesday, March 17, 2009 10:30 PM
Subject: [ZOOARCH] buffalo horn
> Dear Zooarchers,
>
> I was wondering whether anybody could help me with the specimen portrayed
> in the
> photo downloadable at:
>
> http://www.alexandriaarchive.org/icaz/icazForum/viewtopic.php?p=1269#1269
>
> This originally comes from a cutlery shop in Sheffield (UK) though it has
> been
> in a museum store for a while and any precise chronological information is
> missing though it's likely to be late 19th - early 20th century. I believe
> that
> this is the tip of a buffalo horn (as opposed to horncore). It is dense
> and not
> at all hollow, which I suppose is a feature of the upper part of the horn.
> I
> have seen other bits of buffalo horn from late postmedieval Sheffield
> industrial sites. Buffalo horn is supposed to have been imported
> regularly, and
> we find quite a bit of ivory too. I have two questions: can anybody tell
> me if
> there is a chance to separate the African (Syncerus) from the Asian
> (Bubalus)
> buffalo on the basis of the horn morphology which is visible on this
> specimen?
> The second question concerns the fact that the museum curators told me
> that
> manufacturers would make a distinction between 'grey' and 'black' buffalo
> horn,
> though it doesn't know on what basis. I don't think that this distinction
> has
> any zoological meaning, but has anybody heard of it and if so would you
> know to
> what it applies?
> Many thanks in advance for your help.
> Cheers,
> Umberto
>
> --
> Umberto Albarella
> Department of Archaeology
> University of Sheffield
> Northgate House
> West Street
> Sheffield S1 4ET
> United Kingdom
> Telephone: (+) 44 (0) 114 22 22 943
> Fax: (+) 44 (0) 114 27 22 563
> http://www.shef.ac.uk/archaeology/staff/albarella.html
> For Archaeologists for Global Justice (AGJ) see:
> http://www.shef.ac.uk/archaeology/global-justice.html
>
> "There is no way to peace. Peace IS the way".
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