Description

Summary: 1 bronze awl, found in bowl barrow Wilsford G37, excavated by William Cunnington. Not mentioned by RCH and attributed to Amesbury Park by Woodward & Hunter.

Research results

A Bronze Age copper alloy awl, probably excavated from a barrow at Amesbury Park. Other finds from the same barrow include a bone point and copper alloy dagger. Long assumed to be leather working tools, rescent analysis has suggested that many were either little used, or worked something much softer, perhaps used to puncture human skin in tattooing or for medicinal reasons.

This object was examined as part of the research published in Ritual in Early Bronze Age Grave Goods; a six-year research project carried out by Professor John Hunter and Dr Anne Woodward and funded by the Leverhulme Trust. Aided by a large number of other specialists the pair undertood an exhuastive study examining over 1000 objects held in 13 museums across the country in order to provide an extensive overview of burial practices in the period and identify regional practices.