caa a22 4500 378892681 CHVBK 20180305123458.0 cr unu---uuuuu 161128e200410 xx s 000 0 ger 10.1515/BYZS.2004.139 doi (NATIONALLICENCE)gruyter-10.1515/BYZS.2004.139 Papademetriou Marina G. Athens Elephant bone or elephant tusk? A simple method of distinguishing between the two in Byzantine art [Elektronische Daten] [Marina G. Papademetriou] Modern elephant tusk is compared with Byzantine plaques as regards the surface microstructure by means of macrophotography. We are thus able to illustrate the differences between elephant bone and elephant tusk, whereas many exhibitions and publications wrongly refer to ivory as elephant bone. It is not uncommon in Greek and German literature to confuse elephant bone with elephant tusk. Bone is porous and white, whereas ivory is yellowish and compact with characteristic dentine structural lines. The structural lines of dentine in plates made of organic mineralized tissues are diagnostic features of ivory that conclusively differentiate it from elephant bone. Dentine is also more compact than bone. Unlike bone, which is inexpensive and common, ivory is expensive and rare in keeping with the stature, wealth and power of Byzantine Emperors. © 2004 by K. G. Saur Verlag GmbH, München und Leipzig Byzantinische Zeitschrift Walter de Gruyter GmbH & Co. KG 97/1(2004-10), 139-142 0007-7704 97:1<139 2004 97 BYZS https://doi.org/10.1515/BYZS.2004.139 text/html Onlinezugriff via DOI 1 research article jats NATIONALLICENCE 856 40 https://doi.org/10.1515/BYZS.2004.139 text/html Onlinezugriff via DOI NATIONALLICENCE 100 1- Papademetriou Marina G. Athens NATIONALLICENCE 773 0- Byzantinische Zeitschrift Walter de Gruyter GmbH & Co. KG 97/1(2004-10), 139-142 0007-7704 97:1<139 2004 97 BYZS CC0 http://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/zero/1.0 nationallicence BK010053 XK010053 XK010000 NATIONALLICENCE NATIONALLICENCE NL-gruyter