Combs in Archaeology

You’re probably wondering why on earth did I choose to write about combs?!!! Well, a few weeks ago, I noticed a very unusual long wooden comb in my house that had tines on both ends. I asked my mother why does it look different and I was told it is a louse comb. It suddenly occurred to me that a little thing such as comb is a part of the basic grooming kit and would have been as important to the olden people as it is to us Rapunzels with long hair! (in no way implying that people with short hair don’t use combs). So anyway, it followed that I looked up combs in the archaeological record and to my surprise, I came across various articles from all around the world. I never thought that an object like comb could be a subject to such intricate carvings and motifs as I shall discuss about shortly. It seemed like the perfect first daily archaeological object to be blogged about.

The exact kind of comb I was intrigued by!

In my mother tongue i.e. Gujarati, a daily use comb is referred to as a ‘daatyo’ (owing to the tines equated with teeth) and a louse comb is called ‘kangsi’. The word daatyo, I am assuming may have its root in the word ivory itself, which Panini refers to as 'dant' (here called so because of elephant tusks) in the ancient Indian literature. In Hindi, the daily comb is called ‘kanghi/ kangha’ and in Marathi, it is referred to as ‘fani’. Do let me know in the comments what comb in your native tongue is called!

The oldest comb in the archaeological dataset is recorded from the Neolithic site of Canton of Bern in Switzerland. It is dated to 7000 B.C.E. (Although a couple websites claimed they are reported from Palaeolithic sites as well, I couldn't find evidence so I didn't include it)

Here are some more pictures of archaeological combs:

Now you have an idea of what I was talking about earlier when I said intricate carvings and motifs, right? I felt like digging out information on combs in the Indian context. Interestingly, the earliest examples from Indian context are not just direct evidences but also in the form of motifs on pottery from Indus Civilisation. The most commonly used raw materials for manufacturing combs were bones, wood, horn and ivory. In many instances like from burials in Mohenjo-Daro, Sindh and Pochampadu, Andhra Pradesh, the combs have been recovered just beneath the individual skull as if they were adorned in the hair at the time of burial. There is one reported evidence of a bone comb from the Neolithic site of Burzahom in Kashmir. More recently, the evidence of a fine comb was unearthed at the Chalcolithic site of Sanauli in Uttar Pradesh. Judging by the picture of the comb, I am assuming it is made from either bone or ivory. Although, I should mention that the site is famous for its discovery of not one, but three chariots from the Indian archaeological contexts for the first time. 

Picture of the chariot and the in situ comb found alongside a burial from the site of Sanauli

As one progresses from the protohistoric to the historical and later periods, there is an increase in the variety of combs found in the archaeological record. I came across an interesting find of a bone comb found in excavations at the Historical site of Adam, Maharashtra. On one side it depicts two pairs of seated couples and the other side depicts a row of elephants emerging out of a pond. Another example is a Shunga period comb, now housed in the Cleveland Museum of Art. It has a carved depiction of two females with peacocks on either sides. It is made out of ivory.

The sides of the comb found from the excavations at Adam

The ivory comb from Shunga period, housed in the Cleveland Museum of Art

Here are some of the pictures of combs from the Medieval period in India, note how they contain a central hollow and/ or a small chamber that can store perfume/ oil which is then diffused into the hair while combing. 

The custom of wearing such small and ornamental combs was in place until very recently.It  is now only still prevalent in some tribal cultures. Mr Niranjan Mahawar, an Indian art collector has a collection of about 1500 tribal combs that once belonged to individuals living in tribal communities across the country. The combs are made of whatever material is available e.g. tin, aluminium, wood and even leaf fibre! Besides being used for grooming, in many tribal groups they also serve secondary purposes. For instance, in the Gond tribes in Bastar region, the unmarried men make ornate combs and present them to the women they have a crush on. Later, when the women are married they keep the comb presented to them by their spouses and return the rest to the respective men. In other tribes like the Gwarias from Rajasthan, the bride is presented combs with carved motifs of mango and peacock on the wedding day as fertility symbols. Now I also understand why so many modern day bridal sarees have peacocks and mango motifs on their borders and pallus. 

In the more recent times, ornate combs are only seen being used in period dramas.

Kate Winslet can be seen adorning a beautifully crafted butterfly motif comb in the popular movie 'Titanic'. 

That's all I have on combs. If you feel like exploring some more, here's a fantastic website I came across that showcases hairdressing accessories throughout the world - Creative Museum

Do leave your comments about suggestions for the next daily archaeological object!

Bhakti G 

Note: None of the information I have provided belongs to me, respective sources have been listed in the references, cheers!

References:

Indian Archaeology 1989-90 - A Review

Combs in Proto and Early Historic Andhra: A Study - B. Subrahmanyam, B. Subramanyam and E. Siva Negi Reddy

The louse comb: past and present - Kosta Y. Mumcuoglu

https://www.hindustantimes.com/art-and-culture/meet-the-art-collector-retracing-history-through-combs/story-hgXAXWG1OtXTBpQlmP7HfP.html

https://www.archaeology.org/issues/310-1809/trenches/6875-trenches-india-sanauli-chariots

https://thehistoryofthehairsworld.com/combs_museum.html

http://barbaraanneshaircombblog.com/2015/04/15/indian-combs-of-love-and-perfume/

http://www.creative-museum.com/en/geo/asie/Inde