Book clasp


Accession Number
EC2067
Current Location
In storage
Object Type
Written document, Book
Period
Byzantine Period
Material
Animal products (Bone)
Measurements
Length: 124mm | Width: 20mm | Depth: 4mm
Number of Elements
1
Culture
Egyptian

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Description

A bone book clasp decorated with circles and holes. While the dotted circle motif had been popular in Egypt since the Middle Kingdom, it was extremely popular during the Coptic (Byzantine) Period throughout the Mediterranean and seems to have had an apotropaic function (Maguire 1989, 5-7). It was purchased by Wellcome by auction in 1934.

Bibliography

Maguire and Duncan Flowers 1989 "Art and Holy Powers in the Early Christian House", pp.5-7 M.-H. Rutschowskaya (Ed.) 2000 "L’art copte en Ègypte – 2000 ans de christianisme", pp. 69.