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

VIII. CARVED FURNITURE DECORATION - 1. Pivots, hinges

fragment, their employment can not be taken for certain.

112 (No. 575.) The rod decorated with row of astragalos fastened at one end with a thin peg to some unknown object has also analogies from Lyon (Beal), from Petronell (Groller) and from Óbuda (inv. 50.834.). (Nos. 576-577.)

113 A similar construction is a prism-shaped carving from Almásfüzitő. The remaining part of furniture decorating carvings are plate mounts fastened with rivets. (Nos. 578-581.) The decoration of these were of two kinds. In one case the edge of the lamella was divided with different curves. (Nos. 578-579.) Here the pierced, lace-like carving is the decoration itself. In the other case the surface of the lamella was covered 1. Pivots, hinges For fastening their wardrobes and chests Romans used pivots made of bone. (Figs. 30-32.) These pivots were collected by Fremersdorf.

114 Fremersdorf has reconstructed its mechanism from an archaeological find group from Vindonissa and from a contemporary plaster model of a wooden chest. Several carvings, so far referred to as harp keys, pipes, needlecases were identified by him as parts of hinges. There are several parts of hinges in the Collecwith the concentric circles referred to above several times or with carvings reminding one of punching. (Nos. 580-581.) Among these there are flower motifs drawn with hand like the free hand drawing to be seen on a bone lamella from Szőny (No. 581.), which is so primitive that — if there did not exist an entirely agreeing carving from Sirmium, — one would doubt whether it is Roman. The bone plate from Sirmium was dated to the 4th century and the carving from Szőny must be also of later date; the same flower motif can be seen on carvings from Trier. A similar pattern was carved on the pieces of the draught from Szombathely only in far better quality. tion of the Hungarian National Museum. The closing elements of hinges were, on the basis of the corner pegs of the Walsbetz tumulus 9-10 cm long bone cylinders. (No. 582.) (In fact they remind one of Migration age needle-cases.) The top of the cylinder is closed by a circular plate similar to the lid of unguentum jars only smaller, with a diameter of 1.5-2 cm. (Nos. 583-591.) From the middle of the lid — again, similarly to jars — turned, globular bone handle is proFig. SI. Hinges, pivots