Les peignes de toilette en bois à double endenture du xe au xviie siècle en Europe occidentale : un marqueur chronologique exceptionnel

Abstract

The corpus of double-sided hair combs comprises examples from thirty seven archaeological sites in France and abroad. It stretches from the 10th to the 17th century and reveals exceptional typo-chronological dynamics. Consequently, the comb represents the best chronological marker among all wooden objects. Mass produced on the French domain, this artefact was widely exported to countries without the boxwood needed to produce them, from the 12th century onwards; to England, Flanders and the German Holy Empire. If, despite perceptible technical improvements, the production chain and tool kit remain overall unchanged during these eight centuries, the succession of comb types is, on the contrary, rapid, as if in tune with the evolution of Medieval and Modern period artistic expression.