Ancient Mesopotamian Mystery Object

[@robertmarett6305]

My first thought on seeing the artifact was a hide scraper for leather making. I don't know what the leather trade was in ancient Mesopotamia, that was just my impression.

[@Miss_Dita]

That's what I was thinking too.

[@artifactuallyspeaking]

Yes, a leather-working tool or hide scraper is a definite possibility.

[@mirandamom1346]

Interesting! I don’t know what I’m talking about, but maybe chemicals used to process leather could have helped preserve the wooden handle.

[@aletendre6760]

A leather working tool was my thought as well.

[@ryann6067]

My thoughts too.

[@sarahrosen4985]

I wonder this with so many objects: does anyone ever take replicas to hunter gatherer tribesmen and ask them what they think the objects were used for? I know what the yellow adapter for 45s to LP records is but my children have nooooo idea. How many objects are obvious to unindustrialized tribes?

[@petergerdes1094]

That's an excellent idea for paleolithic/neolithic artifacts but I'm not sure we have a good analog for massive bronze age civilizations. Still, it wouldn't hurt to ask.

[@comfortablynumb9342]

Great idea

[@tomarnd8724]

What about one of those tools the Romans used to scrape their bodies to clean themselves? A strigil. I guess the direction of the handle wouldn't make it very practical for that

[@hunter.ap02]

it also looks like a spatula to smooth out wet/muddy surfaces just some food for thought

[@sarahrosen4985]

I like that suggestion. I picture a plasterer finishing walls.

[@simonsaville9962]

Maybe, clay sculpting, some sort of potter's tool. The curve could be used for shaping/smoothing the interior of a vessel. Good shout!

[@AudraK]

I also thought of something to smooth mud. First I thought about walls and floors then I also thought about vessels. I like to tell myself that maybe it could have been used for all of the things in the comments before me, like a multitool. But that’s just so we can all be right😂

[@boossersgarage3239]

spreading cake makeup on the body, first thing I thought of...

[@lainecolley1414]

​@@simonsaville9962 my thought too.. something to shape the inner bottoms of large vessels.

[@martinivakovic5070]

Dough cutter is probably something nobody thought of

[@celsus7979]

I was thinking the same. Or a clay cutter for bricks and pottery workshops. Another thought. The Romans used to rub olive oil all over their body and scrape it off. The small curve would be good for that. Maybe they did something similar.

[@estebane8435]

I’m an early childhood educator who’s also obsessed with archaeology. I’ve watched a lot of channels but none like yours. Thank you for doing such a great job, keep it up!

[@artifactuallyspeaking]

Thanks! My goal is to be informative but also interesting and hopefully a little creative in my approach. I'm glad to know that other educators are watching and enjoying.

[@beckyheydemann1332]

Thank you for not just calling it “something used in a ritual”. We don’t need more Motel of the Mysteries explanations.

[@Z.A.M.1359]

I have seen way smaller mirrors that people use for cosmetics nowadays.

[@jacksobreiro3328]

love this conversation type format from you, very awesome video!!!

[@KevinRblueneuronnet]

Thank you for another interesting video. I don't know whether you're able to do this given that your videos use institutional resources, but if you ever set up a Patreon I'd love to support more of these being made.

[@artifactuallyspeaking]

Thanks for the vote of confidence! I might need to go with Patreon eventually in order to post more regularly. I tend to film a lot, but editing takes time, so maybe I could hire an editor. It will be a while before I'm that organized, though. Glad to know that you like my work!

[@Anime-Control]

I’m not too familiar with clay, but I wondered if it was perhaps something a scribe might use to size out cuneiform tablets. Could offer some explanation as to why it was in a royal grave.

[@JorgeStolfi]

Yes! I can imagine that a scribe's assistant, having to routinely make dozens of blank tablets at a time, would spread out a layer of clay on the table, cut it into rectangles, and pat each slice to smooth out the edges. Makes sense?

[@Deinareia]

For purposes of applying mascara or eyeshadow, it is quite big enough. You really don't need to see the whole face at that moment.

[@sarahrosen4985]

I only saw the thumbnail and had to listen to (not watch) the video. As you started describing it, my thought was mirror. Nice to hear I'm not the only one. 😊

[@MoadikumMoodocks]

Thanks, always interesting videos.

[@wi11y007]

love your guest ! fun video. I like the mirror idea 🪞

[@balaclavabob001]

Maybe for making some sort of pancake ? Scraping the batter out thin in a cooking vessel hence the curve ? The hadle is asymetrical which is odd and as it doesn't look broken so I assume that's part of the design . The hadle is too fine to be a tool that's struck and the blade is too thin and undamaged to be somethnig that was held and struck buy a hammer or stick . It's small so whatever it was used for is going to be for small batch numbers or personal use . Could be a one handed mezzaluna , a curd knife , the rear view mirror from a 1976 pontiac firebird ..lol What's great is that the more these sites are investigated the closer you're going to get to the truth .

[@tuckertomlinson4216]

I had a similar thought before seeing your comment about pancakes, but I don't think we need limit ourselves to the kitchen, the shape reminds me of the tools plasterers use to finish drywall in a modern home. I would think this tool shape would lend itself to any task that can be summarized as 'make this blob of paste into a flat surface,' whether that be pancakes or plastering a wall. As you say though, many tasks can use a wide blade.

[@richardvanasse9287]

Pretty cool artifact. It's crazy that there is wood still attached to it after so many years.

[@WeTheLittlePeople]

We have a similar type tool for aqua sculpturing, we use it to flatten or design shapes in an aquarium. I would think it would be perfect for smoothing clay or ensuring a surface is flat.

[@stevendorries]

It looks like a board scrapper to me

[@EdrickBluebeard]

Scraping hides?

[@tableofgods]

Interesting as always! Keep up the good work!

[@SsnakeBite]

Before watching the video, I wanna give my own guess just looking at it from the thumbnail to see if my analysis is correct. I'm guessing it's a hoe or some kind of similar agricultural tool. It looks like some sort of copper object, the flat, oblong and asymmetrical shape seems fitting for this sort of tool and I'm also seeing what looks like the base of a wooden handle nailed to it. And considering the importance of agriculture in Mesopotamia (and really, any culture at any age), it would make sense for such tools to have been made en masse and therefore being common to find in archeological digs. Edit: So looks like I was way off, which makes sense looking at the actual size of the tool, not to mention the handle. I hadn't even considered woodworking but that does sound very plausible.

[@Frenchconnection6]

I was thinking a hoe also

[@CITADEL5]

It's a scraper. I have several in my garage. I used to work in a leather tannery when I was younger so one is actually bronze. They do not stay sharp as long but they also do not cause sparks when scraping.

[@JorgeStolfi]

The asymmetry of the blade argues against it being a scraper or plastering tool that is pushed forward or pulled backward. The blade would want to turn towards the longer side, and the user would need extra effort to keep it moving straight. So, if it is a cutting instrument, it seems more likely that it was held vertically, like a stamp or dough cutter, with the longer "wing" forward.

[@jldwolfe]

For working leather

[@tuckertomlinson4216]

So, perhaps an out-of-box thought: could this be something like a roman strigil? Not razor sharp for removing hair, but for a kind of cleansing by scraping of the body? I admit it seems like the kind of use that would be mentioned in some writing somewhere, but perhaps it was seen as 'the obvious tool' and not explicitly mentioned? Another point against this theory is the straight 'edge', where a strigil was curved to conform to the body.

[@Shady-Shane]

looks like a brake pad off my old Citroen.🙂

[@sarahrosen4985]

@@Shady-Shane 🤭🤭🤭🤭🤭

[@zak-a-roo264]

I don't know , the reflection in the metal spatula I used for eggs this morning is good enough to apply makeup with !!

[@jackygarbutt5884]

I'm not very familiar with Mesopotamian culture and hygiene habits, but the first thing I thought of when seeing this was that it could be a strigil.

[@celsus7979]

I was thinking the same. Thr curve would help with that.

[@pattheplanter]

@@celsus7979 I should have checked the other comments first, shouldn't I?

[@NemoA90]

do you have a way to find out if a part of it was work hardened? i know copper or bronze swords were deliberately work hardened at the edge while the rest was kept soft, so if the edge is work hardened it would indicate wether it was supposed to hold an edge or not.

[@NaDa-kw2fu]

A leather cutting tool? The modern variants are crescent shaped.

[@JorgeStolfi]

The edge was probably straight; the slight curve is likely to be due to corrosion. It is too flimsy to be a woodworking tool (chisel, adze, plane, bark remover). It could be a trowel or spatula to spread plaster or clay on walls or floors, spread bitumen over roofs... but a wooden tool would be just as effective for those uses. The not very thick copper blade means it was used for cutting something that was neither too hard nor too soft. The handle and width seem awkward for a shaving razor. They suggests that it was either pushed forward to scrape a flat surface (cleaning raw hide, or removing old coatings), or pushed down to chop something into portions (cooked bread, cheese, cooked meat...).

[@pattheplanter]

I was thinking a tool like the strigil of the Romans for removing whatever they used to clean themselves in the bath.

[@davidkelsey2864]

Is there any microscopic lab technique to see if the flat edge was once sharp? If you could compare all the edges and show they are the same under a microscope it could point towards a mirror but if the flat edge is decidedly different to the other edges maybe it was a tool?

[@ogi22]

I checked, and a lot of comments here is speaking about a spatula/scraper. And as much as I could agree, the object is very thin. Copper is soft. I would agree with a mirror.

[@stevendorries]

I thought it was said to be bronze and not pure copper

[@ogi22]

@@stevendorries No matter if it's bronze, copper or tin. At this thickness, you are not going to have a useful spatula for scraping, nor any kind of a razor blade. For such thin sheet of metal to be useful for scraping, you need steel. Or completly different style of a blade.

[@telebubba5527]

It's a copper alloy, which makes it a bit harder. Probably one of the hardest and/or sharpest things around at the time. They had to make do with what they had. Just like we do today, only we've progressed some since then.

[@ogi22]

@@telebubba5527 Yes, I agree. But you will never use a plasticine as a hammer. It's like today buying something from the internet, getting a BS product and not using it. I bet they tried, but it is physically impossible to use such metal sheet as a scraper. First try and you will bend it. You will not try another time. But if you polish such thin sheet of metal, you can have a pretty decent mirror. Useful enough to put it to a grave as an object of a great value. I bet you wouldn't want to be buried with a plasticine hammer 😏

[@stevendorries]

@@ogi22 I have a copper board scrapper approximately the thickness of this artifact that I made, it works fine for soft woods like poplar

[@comfortablynumb9342]

Could that be for cooking or food prep? Maybe with a handle it was for stirring a pot or used as a spatula, or both.

[@peterstucke9824]

Thoughts. Hide scraper blade or for hygiene scraping oil from the body similar to the routine in Roman baths.

[@praveenb9048]

The head of a proto-golf club.

[@damenkapric586]

A tool for shearing sheep?

[@JCOwens-zq6fd]

Technically it could have been for any # of things. The fact that it was used in a burial ritual does indicate that it was pretty inportant to the owner. Would've been something they probably either used a lot or had some symbolic meaning to their role in society maybe.

[@ThinkForYourself2025]

I thought razor first. But now I think Mirror!

[@tricksypixie]

if not broken then asymmetrical - employed at an angle, or with the handle in the web of the thumb and fingertips on the blade for control?

[@EarlMcKnight-n4t]

Considering they were in many graves it could be a mud brick shaver /shaper used by the builders at that time.

[@ruzi.the.spider]

I was getting car mirror vibes lol

[@telebubba5527]

Fred, they've found your mirror!

[@ottodidakt3069]

hide scraper except for the handle which doesn't match the usage spatula ?

[@jameskirk8274]

As much as it would be cool if it was a pocket mirror type thing, to me it looks very similar to other razors that are found that are like definitive razors found alongside mirrors like in Egyptian cosmetic cases

[@Demon0A]

could it have been a knife similar to the Inuit ulu ?

[@FROGGS01]

If it had an elongated handle, you could hold it with the blade facing towards you. This way you could perhaps shave a sheep? Like holding the sheep with one hand and your legs, and then shaving with that tool towards you. Like a pulling tool.

[@artifactuallyspeaking]

They definitely had a lot of sheep and used the wool extensively, so they would need a way to shear. I think you can do a certain amount by 'plucking' the wool, but a tool like this might help to separate it more easily.

[@ArmyJay]

A bronze mirror perhaps ? That’s what i think. I’ve seen similar ones. Now i’ll have to watch the whole video. 😏

[@KasdonLudwick]

Oil scraper for body cleaning.

[@Mkalikapisa-ui7by]

Hide scaper?

[@jamesmccubbin7887]

Could it have been tinned with mercury or tin

[@CBLounge2112]

Obviously it's the head of a golf club!

[@JorgeStolfi]

Are there examples of mirrors made of *copper* rather than bronze? Copper becomes dark and dull almost immediately after being polished. Also, while the small size can be explained, it seems unlikely that it would be given that shape. Also, the handle is not very consistent with that use. For a cosmetic instrument, one would expect that either (1) the handle had to be at most a couple of inches long, and thus would be cast together with the blade, or (2) the handle would be made of a nobler material, with decorative fastening, or (3) the handle would be omitted altogether, as in modern portable mirrors. From the fastening pegs and the material, it looks like the handle was at least several inches long, and the instrument was meant for some utilitarian task.

[@artifactuallyspeaking]

I'm not sure if there are purely copper mirrors, and I'm also not sure if this one is pure copper. It may be bronze, since bronze is typically 90% copper and 10% tin. We tend to just say 'copper alloy' when we don't know the true metal content.

[@simonsaville9962]

Back-scratcher?

[@simonmccarthy8091]

If it was a razor would it be for body hair leg's ect rather than facial hair? Can't imagine shaving my beard with that 😂

[@simonsaville9962]

Obviously a cake slice.

[@lordofuzkulak8308]

Do we know what their stance on body hair was? In addition/as an alternative to a razor for the face or head, could it have been used for shaving body hair? Or for a similar purpose, one of the things Romans had done when they went to a bathhouse was to be massaged with oils, and then the oil and dirt scraped off with a curved blade (although I think those had more of a sickle shaped design than this does); could this have been used for something like that (as I imagine cleanliness would’ve been desirable for the social elite in Mesopotamia too)?

[@artifactuallyspeaking]

We don't know much about their stance on body hair, but it would be difficult to remove it efficiently. Some priests had shaven heads, and this would have taken time, possibly showing their importance? Thus, maybe other body hair shaving also showed importance? I like the idea of a body oil scraper like those used by Greeks and Romans. They called this device a strigil, but as you say, it was typically more curved to follow body lines more thoroughly. The benefit of this interpretation, though, is that it would not need to be sharp like a knife or other type of tool.

[@lordofuzkulak8308]

@@artifactuallyspeaking given how much earlier this artefact dates from, would they have been able to make something that was able to follow the body contours better? Although as I typed that question, it occurs to me that the answer is probably yes as it would be easy to do so using a mold. Although even if it was trivial to make one to match body contours better, I suppose it’s possible that it might not be an idea that would occur to them immediately; I could easily see someone coming up with the idea of using a blade to scrape dirt off when they went to use a blunted blade to shave or idly scratching their cheek or what have you, which would lead to the use of flat strigils, at some point someone noticing that a bent one gave a better clean, which would lead to the manufacture of slightly curved ones, and over time the curve getting tighter until it was optimised like those used by the Greeks and Romans. I would posit that if it is a strigil, maybe it was designed for use on the flatter areas of the body such as the abdomen and pectorals, while more curved ones were used on the limbs, face, etc, but if that were the case, then I would’ve expected it to have been found as a set with such other strigils, and given you didn’t mention that it was, I think it’s safe to say that this is unlikely. All that being said, I think your idea of it being analogous to a modern hand mirror or compact is probably the likeliest answer.

[@RolfStones]

Maybe a bit of an outrageous idea but it reminds me of a gardening tool. 😅

[@abandoninplace2751]

Maybe not a "practical" mirror, but one intended as a grave good, and merely representative? (Wealthy individual, but maybe not super wealthy. i've no idea what the quality of associated artifacts is.) Or maybe the grip on an extravagant tuning peg, but i do not know what their stringed instruments were like . [ok, does not seem like they did tuning pegs in this fashion.]

[@paulsworld769]

Wool cutting Adze

[@AcanLord]

What if this is some manner of putty knife? Maybe used to apply something like Adobe onto walks or something of that nature. there are plastic and metal tools that look rather like this which are intended for Drywall mud. just a thought.

[@artifactuallyspeaking]

That's possible, since they did plaster their walls (mud plaster, though sometimes white lime mixture) and re-plaster them often.

[@annemcintyre9620]

Clay shaper

[@Wildschwein_Jaeger]

Skin oil scraper.

[@michaeledmonds5789]

Grooming blade ? Oil bath

[@ericschmuecker348]

Dirt scraper. Olive oil bath.

[@kingoftheearth2149]

The obvious look is a dirty plaster spreader....

[@mausercawley]

Putty knife!

[@waynebrady7439]

Its an ancient putting iron DUH

[@DarkMatterVisible]

This is a tool meant for moderate hand work of some type, probably some form of scraping or soft organic chopping. It's missing about 30-40% of its mass due to oxidation, but it still would have been quite thin for most masonry or wood work, although poplar is a very soft wood, so maybe it could do some of that work.