Description

Summary: 1 bi-conical bone bead found with a primary inhumation in bowl barrow Winterbourne Stoke G8, excavated by William Cunnington.

Research results

A Bronze age bone bead found with a primary inhumation in bowl barrow Winterbourne Stoke G8, excavated by William Cunnington. A further bead has unfortunately been lost since its excavation in the early 19th century, the beads, a beaver tooth and a pair of simple whetstones were found in a pile near the head of the inhmation, and some or all of them likely made up a composite necklace. The bead itself is made from the distal shaft of a sheep tibia.

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.