Harvard Art Museums > 1977.216.2202.14: Needle Tools and Equipment Collections Search Exit Deep Zoom Mode Zoom Out Zoom In Reset Zoom Full Screen Add to Collection Order Image Copy Link Copy Citation Citation"Needle , 1977.216.2202.14,” Harvard Art Museums collections online, Dec 03, 2024, https://hvrd.art/o/97816. Reuse via IIIF Toggle Deep Zoom Mode Download This object does not yet have a description. Identification and Creation Object Number 1977.216.2202.14 Title Needle Classification Tools and Equipment Work Type needle Date 1st-5th century CE Places Creation Place: Ancient & Byzantine World, Europe, Rome (Latium) Period Roman period Culture Roman Persistent Link https://hvrd.art/o/97816 Physical Descriptions Medium Copper alloy Technique Cast Dimensions 16 x 0.5 cm (6 5/16 x 3/16 in.) Technical Details Technical Observations: The patina is green and brown. The object appears to be intact. The needle was made from a cast rod hammered into shape, probably with annealing. Carol Snow (submitted 2002) Provenance Recorded Ownership History Harold Wilmerding Bell, Cambridge, MA (by 1911), gift; to the Department of the Classics, Harvard University (1911-1977), transfer; to the Fogg Museum. Acquisition and Rights Credit Line Harvard Art Museums/Arthur M. Sackler Museum, Transfer from the Department of the Classics, Harvard University, Gift of H. W. Bell Accession Year 1977 Object Number 1977.216.2202.14 Division Asian and Mediterranean Art Contact am_asianmediterranean@harvard.edu Permissions The Harvard Art Museums encourage the use of images found on this website for personal, noncommercial use, including educational and scholarly purposes. To request a higher resolution file of this image, please submit an online request. Descriptions Published Catalogue Text: Ancient Mediterranean and Near Eastern Bronzes at the Harvard Art Museums This large needle tapers to a thin, dull point at one end. A series of incisions appear below and above a thin, elongated eye. The smooth shaft expands slightly near the eye (1). Ancient needles came in a variety of forms and were used for sewing a range of materials, from fine cloth to thick leather (2). Needles are also sometimes found as part of ancient medical instrument kits (3). NOTES: 1. A very similar, although slightly shorter, needle was published as part of a Swiss collection; see N. Rauch, Instruments de chirurgie gréco-romains (Lausanne, 1961) 13 and 18, no. 67. 2. P. M. Allison, The Insula of the Menander at Pompeii 3: The Finds (Oxford, 2006) 32-33. 3. J. S. Milne, Surgical Instruments in Greek and Roman Times (Oxford, 1907) 74-77; and L. J. Bliquez, Roman Surgical Instruments and Other Minor Objects in the National Archaeological Museum of Naples (Mainz, 1994) 53. David Smart Subjects and Contexts Roman Domestic Art Ancient Bronzes Related Works 1977.216.2202.15 Needle Tools and Equipment 1977.216.2202.16 Needle Tools and Equipment 1977.216.2202.19 Needle or Pin Tools and Equipment 1964.12.41.B Sewing Needle Fragment Tools and Equipment Verification Level This record has been reviewed by the curatorial staff but may be incomplete. Our records are frequently revised and enhanced. For more information please contact the Division of Asian and Mediterranean Art at am_asianmediterranean@harvard.edu