Comb of bone
Further information:
In grave 32, excavated by Oluf Rygh in 1870, a bone comb and an iron needle, likely for a brooch, were discovered.
The comb features a semi-circular grip and has some broken teeth. Its surface is intricately adorned with line decorations on both sides, representing a single-layer comb with relief decoration. Other combs from the site display decorative elements such as concentric circles, dots, lines, and curves. These were common designs throughout the Iron Age in Scandinavia. The variation in decorative patterns suggests that the combs were personalized for their owners. The teeth of the comb were likely cut out using a small saw or file.
Combs and other items found in graves may also carry deeper symbolic meanings, often challenging our understanding and interpretation. Every year, the reindeer sheds its antlers before they grow back again. Therefore, a simple comb, imbued with the cyclical and regenerative properties of antler, may be used symbolically in burial rituals associated with an afterlife.