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

VI. BONE OBJECTS OF EVERYDAY USE AND TOOLS MADE OF BONE - 3. Knot looseners, mouthpieces of bits, arrow-heads, punchers or perforators

Mercklin has published two other knife hafts from Trier with the same lion representation, while Hoffiller described another lion carving from South Pannónia.

06 These objects were unearthed at several thousand kilometre distance from one another. Still, their identity is so striking that it cannot be by chance. These carvings were probably produced in a central workshop and were transported from here through organized commercial connections. The figures, animals and animals' fighting scenes represented on hafts are connected with physical strength and braveness. The representation of gladiators, wrestlers and, of gods Hercule was preferred.

97 Among animal representations lion is the most frequent. There are usually in lying or rampant position. The fragment of a carving from Szőny must have been the part of a knife haft with a resting lion. (No. 485.)

08 Fig. 18. Knife handle with monkey Among the most unique pieces of the hafts preserved in the Hungarian National Museum is the one with a capuchin monkey. (No. 487.) Monkeys were preferred in Roman art both as statues and as decorative motifs. (Fig. 18.) There are several monkeys among minor plastics: monkey with its young (bronze sculpture from Köln) fluting monkey (glass statuette from Köln).

99 Monkey representations can also be found on knife hafts.

100 The finishing of the haft from Aquincum is natural to such a degree that even the species of the monkey can be determined. Compositions of several figures are representing fighting scenes like wolf or dog chasing rabbit, lion biting a dog.

101 Hafts decorated with figurai — human or animal — representations are strikingly lifelike. The realism of the representations is equally consequent in the minute details or in neglecting static requirements for the sake of life-like appearance. The figures of the scenes are linked with eachother with thin little curves; the composition is loose; instead of being condense or stylized, thus improving the stability of the hafts the carver further divided it. The knife hafts are very fine but exceedingly fragile. Still, broken hafts are very rare. It can be explained that decorative, figurai hafts were not regularly used; they were made for certain occassions. Moreover, it can be imagined that these knives were made for votive purposes just like the haft with lion figure from Corinth has also come to light from such a find group. In this case it could be explained why identical representations are found in distant provinces of the Empire. The commerce of votive objects also existing in an organized form in antiquity could also provide an explanation for their spread. (Fig. 16.) There was possibly a connection between the subjects of representation and the purpose of offering. The representation to be seen on hafts constitute a closed group and in each case they suggest the heroic idea of fight or courage. A similar phenomenon could be observed on the decorations of bone pins made for women. The pins were bearing goddesses, pinea cone, birds and other symbols the meaning of which is unknown to us as yet. Both the decorations of hafts and hair pins were sings connected to folk beliefs or symbols of protecting, apothropaic message. Their wear and use were restricted to certain occassions: e. g. the offering of hafts as votive presents could be explained with the protecting role of pricking metal objects; this belief can be found among the superstitions of almost every people. 3. Knot looseners, mouthpieces of bits, arrow-heads, punchers or perforators Knot looseners, mouthpieces of bits. A common find of Roman excavations is the 10-14 cm long perforated, slightly curved bone tool. (Nos. 488-491.) The tool was considered by Pannonian researchers as bone pipe. J. Szilágyi has proved after J. Jacobi that it is a belt loop serving for packing animals with burden.

102 From ethnographic parallels J. Jacobi supposes that similar tools were used by the Romans for making ropes as well. Both decorated and undecorated variants of knot looseners are frequent. There are three knot looseners from Szőny in the Collection. (Nos. 488., 489., 491.) One is smooth surfaced while the other two are carvings decorated with central dot-circle motifs with a polygonal cross section. The point of the knot looseners is worn