A spectacular find from P1 today was a double-sided wooden comb, with fine and wide-spaced teeth on opposite sides. Preservation in the thick clay sediment is impressive, even in what must be fairly late levels. A good maritime parallel for the comb comes from the 11th-century shipwreck at Serçe Limani where a similar comb was interpreted by George Bass as being used for shipboard delousing… a wonderful insight into the realities of life at sea in the past!
A wooden comb once used to delouse a sailor?
Reference: Bass, G.F. 2004. “Personal Effects.” In Serçe Limani: An Eleventh-Century Shipwreck. Vol. 1, The Ship and Its Anchorage, Crew, and Passengers. Edited by G. F. Bass, S Matthews, J.R. Steffy and F.H. van Doorninck Jr., 275-287. College Station, Texas A&M University Press.
