An ear scoop is an ancient hygiene item that was also used during pagan rituals. It looks like a small spoon with a figured top. In different cultures, ear scoops were made of copper, silver, gold, whalebone, bamboo, animal horns and wood. The ear scoop from the collection of the Glazov Museum was carved from bone, carefully polished and decorated with fine carved ornaments.
Images and outlines of animals, for example, a horse’s head or a duck’s foot, were considered sacred and enhanced the magical properties of the amulet. Ear scoops were worn on the belt as a decoration and an amulet. Metal ear scoops made a chime when the person wearing them was walking, and this sound was supposed to wake up good spirits and scare away evil ones.
Ear scoops found during archaeological excavations were dated from the 8th century BC to the 15th century AD. They are also called earpicks, ear spoons and ear pickers. However, there is no scientific consensus as to what the ear scoops were used for. Some researchers believe that they were not used for hygienic purposes at all. According to one of the hypotheses, the ear scoops were pieces of jewelry, pendants. More than 400 ear scoops were found in the settlements of the Kama region, they were a popular item in the Finno-Ugric culture.
The ear scoop from the collection of the Glazov Museum was found during excavations in the settlement of Idnakar in 1967. Idnakar was a military and craft center of medieval Udmurts, which existed until the 13th century. Its name translates as “the city of Idna”, because, as legend has it, this settlement was founded on the mountain by the hero Idna.
The cultural layer of Idnakar is well studied to a depth of one and a half meters. It contains remnants of ancient houses, storerooms, fortifications, as well as hundreds of jewelry pieces, dishes, utensils, tools and objects of worship. Almost all these artifacts necessary in everyday life were made by the residents of Idnakar themselves — from the dwellings and clothes to small household items. A popular material was bone, which was boiled in a special solution with added natural acids — mustard, sorrel and sour milk. After that, it became soft and malleable. Udmurt bone-carvers made various objects out of bone: elegant combs, handles and ear scoops.
Images and outlines of animals, for example, a horse’s head or a duck’s foot, were considered sacred and enhanced the magical properties of the amulet. Ear scoops were worn on the belt as a decoration and an amulet. Metal ear scoops made a chime when the person wearing them was walking, and this sound was supposed to wake up good spirits and scare away evil ones.
Ear scoops found during archaeological excavations were dated from the 8th century BC to the 15th century AD. They are also called earpicks, ear spoons and ear pickers. However, there is no scientific consensus as to what the ear scoops were used for. Some researchers believe that they were not used for hygienic purposes at all. According to one of the hypotheses, the ear scoops were pieces of jewelry, pendants. More than 400 ear scoops were found in the settlements of the Kama region, they were a popular item in the Finno-Ugric culture.
The ear scoop from the collection of the Glazov Museum was found during excavations in the settlement of Idnakar in 1967. Idnakar was a military and craft center of medieval Udmurts, which existed until the 13th century. Its name translates as “the city of Idna”, because, as legend has it, this settlement was founded on the mountain by the hero Idna.
The cultural layer of Idnakar is well studied to a depth of one and a half meters. It contains remnants of ancient houses, storerooms, fortifications, as well as hundreds of jewelry pieces, dishes, utensils, tools and objects of worship. Almost all these artifacts necessary in everyday life were made by the residents of Idnakar themselves — from the dwellings and clothes to small household items. A popular material was bone, which was boiled in a special solution with added natural acids — mustard, sorrel and sour milk. After that, it became soft and malleable. Udmurt bone-carvers made various objects out of bone: elegant combs, handles and ear scoops.
