Comb
New Kingdom
This beautifully preserved comb has three neatly carved shallow indentations at the top to allow the fingers a secure grip. The flat area between the undulated top and the comb's teeth is embellished with groups of perfectly straight incised, parallel lines. The comb does not show wear and thus cannot have been used for long, if at all, before it was deposited in the burial for use in the next world.
The comb was excavated by the Earl of Carnarvon and Howard Carter in the Lower Assasif area of the Theban necropolis on the west bank of the Nile opposite modern Luxor. It was acquired by Carnarvon in the division of finds with the Egyptian Antiquities Service. Lord Carnarvon's collection was sold to the Museum after his death in 1923. Three similar combs were found by the Museum's Egyptian Expedition during excavations in the same area (16.10.428–.430).
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