Mária T. Biró: The Bone Objects of the Roman Collection. (Catalogi Musei Nationalis Hungarici. Seria Archeologica 2; Budapest, 1994)

IV. HAIR-STYLES THE USE OF BONE HAIR-PINS, AND COMB USE OF THE ROMANS - 4. Combs

cross bands of dense combs; although there are some undecorated ones as well. There are also bone bands preserved in the Collection of the Hungarian National Museum which were possibly parts of comb cases.

80 (Nos. 410-411.) II. Triangle-shaped combs. (Nos. 412-424.) Fig. IS. Triangle composite comb with case We do not know the the antique name of this comb type. There were among them both rake combs and decorative combs. Their employment was probably decided by their size; for there can be found among them such small ones (3-4 cm) (Nos. 422., 423.) that were entirely unfit for combing the hair. The form of the comb handles is triangle shaped sometimes the central top of the triangle is cut, for practical reasons. (No. 420.) The size of larger ones is between 12-10 cm, while the small ones are never longer than 5 cm. Larger combs — with the exception of a specimen from Szőny — were all covered with the different patterns of circles produced by dot-circle compasses. Here it should be noted that dot-circle technique is alien to the band decoration of double-sided combs although technically it could be easily realized on this narrow band; it is enough to think of the much narrower and more fragile bone bracelets where almost always these dot-circles were employed. The ornament consisting of circles is of course more effective on the larger surface of the combs than the bracelets. Moreover, there are combs, where discolouring hinting at painting within the circles can be traced. (No. 423.) In my assumption the combs with, triangular handle were made later than those with double teeth. The earliest specimen of this type was found in the area of the forum in Tác. This comb is undecorated only its edges are bordered by small oblique hatches. The triangular combs of the Szőny workshop are characterized by the following: the edges of the triangle were all around striped with small oblique lines, then follows a border of double lines and within these lines dot-circles of different sizes are grouped. (Nos. 414., 416., 419.) Technically they are characterized by the rather deep carving of lines and circles made with compasses; by the double border line on the rims and by the obliquely running hatches, and lastly by the circumstance that the dot-circle pattern fills the whole surface homogeneously. The characteristic feature of the combs from Dunapentele is that the surface of the triangle is only bordered by dot-circles and the whole surface is not covered by them. (No. 415.) The small, 4-5 cm triangle-shaped combs are not suitable for combing. (Nos. 422-423.) They were made for pinning up hair or to decorate the hair-style. These small carvings are the finest among combs. Finely arched curvings and carved peak ornaments make them varied. On one of the decorative combs from Szőny (No. 422.) — being in its form the nearest parallel of the animal headed comb for Trier — two stylized dolphin heads are modelled. While on another small decorative comb from Szőny the remains of black paint can be discerned. III. Semi-circular combs. (Nos. 425-428., cf. 435.) The antique name of semi-circular combs was " curvum Crinale"

. This antique name may have referred to any single-sided rake combs as opposed to the densely teethed double-sided rake combs. Although the group of singlesided combs is not only formally (triangle, semi-circle, humpbacked) but also technically diversified. The covers holding the teethed body of the combs were both with triangle-shaped and humpbacked combs made of one bone plate while the covering plates of the semi-circular respectively the Marosszentanna type consisted of two parts. The covering plates of semi-circular combs consist of a bone band clasping the teethed body of the comb in its whole length. Above this bone band is the circular plate placed being somewhat larger than a semi-circle. The decoration of the band and the circular plate constitute one unit; as opposed to the Marosszentanna type the independent character of the bone band is not emphasized. The teethed body of the comb is carved from one plate; for the eventual inaccuracies in the carving of the circular plate and the teethed body of the comb is anyhow hidden by the minutely constructed covering plates. There is a certain trend to be discerned in the decoration of combs. There are combs where the dot-circle motif covering both the band and the semi-circle is not separated; the