Microscopic Re-Examination of an Unique Bone Artefact: The Figure of a Theatrical Actor Found at The Roman Fort Iža/Leányvár (Slovakia)

Abstract

In 1955, a figure, representing a comic actor, was discovered on a spoil heal in the Roman Fort of Iža. It is a unique find without close parallels in the whole of the Roman Empire, making it difficult to determine from which object it was derived or what was its function. The results of new research are presented here and demonstrate the object is a fragment of a luxury, figural knife handle made from bone rather than ivory. It was probably produced in a provincial workshop under a Mediterranean influence where similar figures, though from different materials, occur throughout the second century.

Keywords

• bone figure
• knife handle
• roman fort
• slovakia
• reinterpretation
• ivory
• microscopic analysis