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Writer's pictureHans Faber

Comb as you are, as you were

Theories exist that the tribe’s name of the Frisians comes from the Old Frisian word frisle meaning ‘lock of hair’, a word, in turn, that derives from the Latin language (Van Renswoude 2012). Compare the French verb friser meaning ‘making to curl’. Although this is not the origin of the tribe’s name at all, which has more to do with lugging around earth and poop (check our blog post A severe case of inattentional blindness: the Frisian tribe’s name), it is interesting to see how many early-medieval combs have been found in the territory of former Frisia. It proves that ancient Frisians were not bald. Unfortunately, archaeological research does not pay a whole lot of attention to what kind of hairstyling the different combs were used for. So, we asked a seventy-three-year-old hairdresser.


In the Early Middle Ages, as well as before and after, combs may have been objects of daily use. They might also have had a symbolic status or expressed a social status, etc. (Pil 2015).


A recent, excellent article on the Frisian comb (Rijkelijkhuizen 2024) gives a first overview of the different types of hair combs in Frisia during the Early Middle Ages. Although much research is still needed, this article shows that at least from the Carolingian period onward, combs were locally crafted, i.e., Frisia, consisting of the terp region in the north and the coastal area in the west of the Netherlands. Hence, they were not made by traveling artisan crafters, as also has been put forward.


Another observation in this article is the great variety of combs in Frisia when compared to Scandinavia, specifically in the terp region in the north of the Netherlands; seemingly a melting pot of comb-making traditions in the wider region of Northwest Europe.


The typologies of combs focus on provenance, age, material(s) used (antler, bone, ivory, wood, etc.), shape (symmetrical or asymmetrical), decoration styles, construction (barred, composite, double- or single-sided), etc. These classifications do not differentiate in their use, besides being used for grooming human hair – head, beard, and/or moustache, whether to look pretty or to control the amount of lice. Also, combs could be used as decoration or have a ritual purpose.


Wooden and iron combs are known from the Roman period but were uncommon in the Middle Ages (Pil 2015). So, mostly bone and antler from cervids were used. Antlers of different types of cervids, namely reindeer, roe deer, fallow deer, red deer, and elk, were utilized. Antlers are lighter and more flexible than bone. Nevertheless, bone gradually replaced antler during the Middle Ages as the most used raw material for combs. This was due to the scarcity of antler (Rijkelijkhuizen 2011, Pil 2012), perhaps due to population growth and thus greater demand. Population growth also led to more hunting and deforestation, which in turn resulted in even more scarcity of cervids.


So, we turned to a locally based hairdresser in the port town of Harlingen in the province of Friesland, Cisca Bouwens, and asked her to identify the possible use of several combs presented in the article of Rijkelijkhuizen (2024). We just put in front of her the picture without giving any contextual information. Her answers were the following:


Fries Museum – Rijkelijkhuizen 2024
Fries Museum – Rijkelijkhuizen 2024

This so-called longbone comb type was found near the village of De Lier, a settlement in the province of Zuid Holland. Longbone combs are most numerous between the thirteenth and fifteenth centuries (Rijkelijkhuizen 2011). According to coiffeuse Bouwens, this comb is similar to combs used for thick and long hair, suited for frizzy hair.


note – Settlement De Lier is first mentioned in the year 985 when Holy Roman Emperor Otto III gave a benefice to Dirk II, the count of West Frisia. The charter said ‘inter duo flumina que vocantur Liora et Hisla’, which translates as ‘located between the rivers that are called Lier and IJssel’. Liora or Lier was the name of a tidal creek connected to the mouth of the River Meuse flowing into the North Sea. The name Liora could mean something like ‘the clear water’ (Van Duijn 2020), compare with the Swedish water toponym Ljur(a) meaning ‘light/bright’ (Van Berkel & Samplonius 2018).


Fries Museum – Rijkelijkhuizen 2024
Fries Museum – Rijkelijkhuizen 2024

This is a so-called barred comb made of antler and was found at the small village of Finkum in the province of Friesland. It is dated to the fifth century. According to coiffeuse Bouwens, this comb looks like it was used for ornamental purposes, probably for pinned-up hair. Most probably for women, not men, with long hair.


note – The name of the settlement Finkum has no clear explanation. Oldest attestation is only in the year 1335, written as Finckum (Van Berkel & Samplonius 2018).


Fries Museum – Rijkelijkhuizen 2024
Fries Museum – Rijkelijkhuizen 2024

This composite double-sided comb is made of antler and was found in the terp Ondersma near the village of Hallum in the province of Friesland. It is dated to the fifth century. This is, according to coiffeuse Bouwens, a standard comb. “These combs have on one side teeth that are very close together in order to remove lice and nits”, Bouwens added.


note – Settlement Hallum is first documented in the year 1136 as Hallem. Probably this means as the place where a great hall used to be (Van Berkel & Samplonius 2018). In the province of Zuid Holland another Hallem existed, today known as the village of Egmond-Binnen. Again, here too an early-medieval hall of a local big man is believed to have existed (Dijkstra 2011).


Fries Museum – Rijkelijkhuizen 2024
Fries Museum – Rijkelijkhuizen 2024

This composite double-sided comb was found near the town of Pijnacker in the province of Zuid Holland not far from the city of The Hague. It is dated twelfth century. According to coiffeuse Bouwens this is a standard comb too, like the previous.


note – Oldest attestation of settlement Pijnacker is Pinacker in the year 1222. The name might translate to ‘pain acre’. So, plough land or farmland where possible a place of punishment or execution used to be (Van Berkel & Samplonius 2018).



Conclusion


We humble hikers have no clue whether hairdressers have been consulted previously by archaeologists to help identify the specific purpose of combs. We think this short exercise shows it can perhaps provide additional insight into grooming and hairdo common back in the days.


 


Suggested music

MacDermot, G., Hair (1968)

Nirvana, Come As You Are (1992)


Further reading

Berkel, van G. & Samplonius, K., Nederlandse plaatsnamen verklaard. Reeks Nederlandse plaatsnamen deel 12 (2018)

Dijkstra, M.F.P., Rondom de mondingen van de Rijn en Maas. Landschap en bewoning tussen de 3e en de 9e eeuw in Zuid-Holland, in het bijzonder de Oude Rijnstreek (2011)

Duijn, van J., Geschiedenis van het Westland. Van Romeinse nederzetting tot Tuin van Europa (2020)

Pil, N., Comb making in Early Medieval Antwerp (2015)

Renswoude, van O., Namen van Nederlandse stammen: Frisii (2012)

Rijkelijkhuizen, M., Dutch medieval bone and antler combs (2011)

Rijkelijkhuizen, M., Op zoek naar de Friese kam. Een kammentypologie voor het Nederlandse grondgebied (2024)

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