Ancient Egyptian weaving comb from Faiyum dated 332 BC – AD 395

The middle section from a wooden weaving comb. Cut from one piece of hard wood, there is a square block, into the bottom edge of which teeth have been cut on the diagonal so they are longer on one side and shorter on the other. At the opposite edge is a handle, roughly cylindrical with a tapered end, and centred on the square. One surface of the square section has been decorated with groups of concentric circles. The circles follow the top edge, near the handle, and then form into a pyramid under the handle. The handle has been decorated with a couple of horizontal lines. The sides of the square block have two dowel holes in them, two with dowel fragments remaining. These would have been for the attachment of further sections of comb, order to make the overall comb wider. There are a few vertical splits in the comb, and part of the top of the handle is missing. There is also some surface damage.

Ancient Egyptian weaving comb from Faiyum
 dated 332 BC – AD 395

Object details

  • Latitude: 29.308374
  • Longitude: 30.844105