Needle

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