New Publication: Ivory with a twist

The article challenges the traditional view that ivory in Late Antiquity was only used a luxury material reserved for the elite, arguing instead that it was a widely traded raw material with diverse uses. While famous religious diptychs dominate museum collections and thus give the impression that it is an almost priceless raw material, archaeological evidence suggests a much broader economic ecosystem existed. Research by Rowan English, analyzing over 1,200 ivory rings, reveals that the global ivory trade began thousands of years before the industrial era, involving complex networks of transport and transformation. In major crafting hubs like Alexandria, complete tusks arrived and were processed in specialist workshops into smaller segments for further distribution, whereas in Rome, ivory often arrived already partially processed. This segmentation indicates that different parts of a single tusk could serve vastly different purposes, ranging from high-quality and high-value artistic panels in Constantinople to utilitarian bag rings in early medieval Britain. The study highlights that the material was not just an exotic import but a functional material used for objects of daily life and various groups within the society. By examining the entire lifecycle of the ivory, so from raw tusk to finished object, is has been demonstrate that the industry was far more industrial and widespread than previously assumed. The article emphasizes that understanding this trade requires looking beyond the surviving luxury items to the fragmented archaeological record of everyday objects. Although the text acknowledges the modern illegality of ivory trade under CITES regulations, it uses historical data to illustrate the long-standing human engagement with this material.