Description

Summary: 1 bone tweezers (one side missing) perforated through centre from top, found with a primary cremation in a wooden box in Bowl Barrow Wilsford G56, excavated by William Cunnington

Research results

A Bronze Age worked bone object, excavated by William Cunnington from Wilsford G56 bowl barrow. The 'tweezers' were found with the primary cremation of the burial, alongside a pair of daggers, and a bone pin. The object is made from the distal end of the tibia of a sheep or goat sized animal, with them foriming one of a very similar group of objects, all of which have been found in and around Wessex. Despite their name, the arms on these objects rarely show wear and are too inflexible to be used as tweezers and it has been suggested that they were perhaps used to secure hair or cloth. Interestingly, they are often found together with a bone pin, suggesting the two were used together.