Description

Summary: 1 bone bracer (wristguard) with two holes at the end and rough traverse ridges or grooves across the surface from a primary cremation in bowl barrow Norton Bavant G2, excavated by William Cunnington

Research results

A Bronze Age bone plate, found with a primary cremation in Bowl Barrow Norton Bavant G2 when it was excavated by William Cunnington. A polished bone point was also found with the cremation.This plate is one of four similar plates known, all from Early Bronze Age graves in Wiltshire, they are too fragile to have been used as functional wristguards and lack much evidence of wear, suggesting they were decorative and sewn onto clothes or straps.

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.