Ethnographic Arms & Armour - View Single Post

VANDOO · 27th October 2014, 05:10 PM

I AGREE THAT THE USE OF THIS FOSSIL MATERIAL IN BALI FOR MAKING KERIS IS A FAIRLY RECENT DEVELOPMENT. KNIFE MAKERS ARE ALWAYS LOOKING FOR SOME NEW MATERIAL TO MAKE KNIVES OUT OF THE MORE ATTRACTIVE OR EXOTIC THE BETTER. WHEN EVER A NEW MATERIAL IS FOUND EVERYONE WANTS SOME ESPECIALLY IF IT SELLS WELL. SO MOST OF WHAT WE SEE TODAY IS A REFLECTION OF THIS RECENT FAD AND THERE IS LIKELY NO OLD TRADITIONAL BELIEFS ,JUST RECENT STORIES MADE UP FOR SALES PURPOSES.

THE ABILITY TO CARVE STONE DOES GO BACK WAY BEYOND THE ADVENT OF THE DENTISTS DRILL AND VERY ANCIENT LAPIDARY TOOLS HAVE BEEN USED EVEN BY EARLY MAN IN THE STONE AGE. JADE ONE OF THE TOUGHEST STONES HAS BEEN CARVED IN MANY COUNTRIES OF THE WORLD SINCE ANCIENT TIMES. MANY ARTIFACTS HAVE BEEN FOUND MADE BY THOSE WHO HUNTED THE MAMMOTH OFTEN OUT OF BONE, IVORY AND TOOTH FRAGMENTS. SOME ARE JUST TOOLS BUT SOME ARE TALISMANS OR OBJECTS OF ART ASSOCIATED WITH THE HUNTERS AND THEIR PREY. TALES OF DRAGONS, GIANTS AND OTHER MYTHICAL GODS AND BEASTS ABOUND THRUOUT HUMAN HISTORY SO THESE BELIEFS AND SUPERSTITIONS HAVE EXISTED BUT ARE NOW VERY CHANGED AND MOSTLY LOST. MAN'S CURIOSITY ASSURES THAT STRANGE AND UNKNOWN OBJECTS WOULD HAVE BEEN OF INTEREST AND QUESTIONS ASKED AND STORIES MADE UP TO EXPLAIN THEM SINCE ANCIENT TIMES. SO SOME OF THESE STRANGE OBJECTS WERE LIKELY TO HAVE BEEN INCORPORATED INTO A HUNTER OR WARRIORS ATTIRE AND PERHAPS WEAPONS. THERE ARE LIKELY SOME EXAMPLES OF OLD SWORDS USING THIS FOSSIL MATERIAL FROM DIFFERENT TIME PERIODS AND REGIONS OF THE WORLD STILL AROUND BUT THEY WOULD LIKELY BE FEW IN NUMBER. FOR EXAMPLE I REMEMBER A POST ON MEDIEVAL SWORDS WITH A AMMONITE FOSSIL MOUNTED IN THE POMMEL ON THE FORUM.
LIKE THE CLASSIFICATION OF ANTIQUE NOW AT 100 YEARS OLD, THE CLASSIFICATION OF FOSSIL MAY HAVE A DATE BUT I THINK THEY EXAGGERATE WHEN THEY REFER TO ME AS A OLD FOSSIL.

MINERALIZATION OCCURS IN DIFFERENT WAYS AND AT DIFFERENT SPEEDS DEPENDING ON THE ENVIRONMENT. I WOULD CONSIDER A MAMMOTH TUSK FROM SIBERIA AND ONE FROM TEXAS BOTH FOSSILS. THE ONE FROM SIBERIA WOULD STILL BE CLOSE TO THE WAY IT WAS IN LIFE AND COULD STILL BE WORKED. WHILE THE ONE FROM TEXAS WOULD BE CHANGED TO MINERAL AND BE FRAGILE CHALK AND NO LONGER USEFUL. BOTH COULD BE THE SAME AGE BUT DUE TO THE ENVIRONMENT VERY DIFFERENT MATERIALS. PERHAPS SOME MUSEUM HAS A OLD STONE KNIFE FITTED WITH MAMMOTH IVORY OR TOOTH IN ITS COLLECTIONS, ANYTHING IS POSSIBLE.

27th October 2014, 05:10 PM	#26
VANDOO (deceased) Join Date: Dec 2004 Location: OKLAHOMA, USA Posts: 3,138	I AGREE THAT THE USE OF THIS FOSSIL MATERIAL IN BALI FOR MAKING KERIS IS A FAIRLY RECENT DEVELOPMENT. KNIFE MAKERS ARE ALWAYS LOOKING FOR SOME NEW MATERIAL TO MAKE KNIVES OUT OF THE MORE ATTRACTIVE OR EXOTIC THE BETTER. WHEN EVER A NEW MATERIAL IS FOUND EVERYONE WANTS SOME ESPECIALLY IF IT SELLS WELL. SO MOST OF WHAT WE SEE TODAY IS A REFLECTION OF THIS RECENT FAD AND THERE IS LIKELY NO OLD TRADITIONAL BELIEFS ,JUST RECENT STORIES MADE UP FOR SALES PURPOSES. THE ABILITY TO CARVE STONE DOES GO BACK WAY BEYOND THE ADVENT OF THE DENTISTS DRILL AND VERY ANCIENT LAPIDARY TOOLS HAVE BEEN USED EVEN BY EARLY MAN IN THE STONE AGE. JADE ONE OF THE TOUGHEST STONES HAS BEEN CARVED IN MANY COUNTRIES OF THE WORLD SINCE ANCIENT TIMES. MANY ARTIFACTS HAVE BEEN FOUND MADE BY THOSE WHO HUNTED THE MAMMOTH OFTEN OUT OF BONE, IVORY AND TOOTH FRAGMENTS. SOME ARE JUST TOOLS BUT SOME ARE TALISMANS OR OBJECTS OF ART ASSOCIATED WITH THE HUNTERS AND THEIR PREY. TALES OF DRAGONS, GIANTS AND OTHER MYTHICAL GODS AND BEASTS ABOUND THRUOUT HUMAN HISTORY SO THESE BELIEFS AND SUPERSTITIONS HAVE EXISTED BUT ARE NOW VERY CHANGED AND MOSTLY LOST. MAN'S CURIOSITY ASSURES THAT STRANGE AND UNKNOWN OBJECTS WOULD HAVE BEEN OF INTEREST AND QUESTIONS ASKED AND STORIES MADE UP TO EXPLAIN THEM SINCE ANCIENT TIMES. SO SOME OF THESE STRANGE OBJECTS WERE LIKELY TO HAVE BEEN INCORPORATED INTO A HUNTER OR WARRIORS ATTIRE AND PERHAPS WEAPONS. THERE ARE LIKELY SOME EXAMPLES OF OLD SWORDS USING THIS FOSSIL MATERIAL FROM DIFFERENT TIME PERIODS AND REGIONS OF THE WORLD STILL AROUND BUT THEY WOULD LIKELY BE FEW IN NUMBER. FOR EXAMPLE I REMEMBER A POST ON MEDIEVAL SWORDS WITH A AMMONITE FOSSIL MOUNTED IN THE POMMEL ON THE FORUM. LIKE THE CLASSIFICATION OF ANTIQUE NOW AT 100 YEARS OLD, THE CLASSIFICATION OF FOSSIL MAY HAVE A DATE BUT I THINK THEY EXAGGERATE WHEN THEY REFER TO ME AS A OLD FOSSIL. MINERALIZATION OCCURS IN DIFFERENT WAYS AND AT DIFFERENT SPEEDS DEPENDING ON THE ENVIRONMENT. I WOULD CONSIDER A MAMMOTH TUSK FROM SIBERIA AND ONE FROM TEXAS BOTH FOSSILS. THE ONE FROM SIBERIA WOULD STILL BE CLOSE TO THE WAY IT WAS IN LIFE AND COULD STILL BE WORKED. WHILE THE ONE FROM TEXAS WOULD BE CHANGED TO MINERAL AND BE FRAGILE CHALK AND NO LONGER USEFUL. BOTH COULD BE THE SAME AGE BUT DUE TO THE ENVIRONMENT VERY DIFFERENT MATERIALS. PERHAPS SOME MUSEUM HAS A OLD STONE KNIFE FITTED WITH MAMMOTH IVORY OR TOOTH IN ITS COLLECTIONS, ANYTHING IS POSSIBLE.