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<p>[QUOTE=&quot;2manybooks, post: 2313069, member: 8267&quot;]I don&#039;t wish to be an alarmist, but there is a possibility that this is rhinoceros horn. The feature that struck me first is the steep angle of the cone, more characteristic of rhinoceros than cattle species. The walls seem to be quite thick. And the circumference seems to be quite irregular. I am not referring to the obviously carved scallops around the top, but the basic shape of the cross section. But it is very difficult to make such determinations from photographs alone. I cannot tell how deep the hollow is, compared to the total length, which would be a significant clue.</p><p><br /></p><p>Cattle horns grow over a bone core, in a series of nesting cones. They are hollow for most of their length, with just a small portion of solid material at the tip. Inside, at the center of the tip, there is an &quot;eye&quot; pattern created by the overlapping series of cones. The walls of cattle and bison horns are relatively thin, as support is provided by the bony core. The base of the horn tends to have a smooth circumference, round, or elliptical, or triangular, but not wavy and irregular.</p><p><br /></p><p>Rhinoceros horns do not grow over a bone core. Rather, they grow like bundles of hair fibers extending upward from the skin surface. There is only a shallow hollow at the base of the horn. This would be enlarged by carving for the traditional use as a drinking cup. Because of this hair-like structure, a cross section of Rhino horn will not show patterns of growth rings like the stacked cones of cow horns. Instead, under sufficient magnification, it will show a collection of tubes. These tubes are about .5mm in diameter, hence the need for significant magnification.</p><p><img src="http://www.vikingsword.com/vb/attachment.php?s=aa65b6f060ae831a5dac92c66c573314&amp;attachmentid=28204&amp;stc=1" class="bbCodeImage wysiwygImage" alt="" unselectable="on" /></p><p><br /></p><p>On the cow side of the argument, I do seem to see some rings around the top cross section. And possibly an eye inside the tip. The style of carving seems to be later than what is seen in traditional Chinese rhino horn carvings as well.</p><p><br /></p><p><a href="https://www.fws.gov/lab/idnotes/IDG_13_RhinoHorn.pdf" target="_blank" class="externalLink ProxyLink" data-proxy-href="https://www.fws.gov/lab/idnotes/IDG_13_RhinoHorn.pdf" rel="nofollow">https://www.fws.gov/lab/idnotes/IDG_13_RhinoHorn.pdf</a>[/QUOTE]</p><p><br /></p>

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