How do you tell if an ancient artifact is bone or ivory? Sometimes, even with careful examination, the distinction isn’t obvious. Histology can give a quick and easy answer, but, what to do if this concerns an antiquity, and sectioning is not an option? That’s where X-ray tomography can lend a helping hand!
My colleague Anna Spyrou (The Cyprus Institute) came across a particularly intriguing fragment at a Bronze Age site in Cyprus. Among a large collection of faunal remains, one piece stood out—clearly altered, possibly for wear, use, or something else entirely. But was it bone or ivory?
Ivory is frequently found in Bronze Age contexts in Cyprus, often crafted into objects, decorations, and artifacts. Given its rarity and cultural significance, identifying it correctly is crucial. A paper by Reiche et al. 2011 (J of Analytical Atomic Scpectrometry) demonstrated how Synchrotron radiation and laboratory micro X-ray computed tomography can be useful tools for the material identification of prehistoric objects made of ivory, bone or antler—could it provide the answer here as well? Stay tuned as we put this method to the test!