Description

Summary: 1 pair of bone tweezers, perfectly executed with a groove around the edges and perforated through the centre, found with a primary cremation beneath a large inverted urn in the bell barrow, Amesbury G11, excavated by William Cunnington.

Research results

A finely worked pair of Bronze Age bone 'tweezers' found with a primary cremation in bell barrow Amesbury G11, excavated by William Cunnington. Although often described as tweezers, it has long been recognised that the arms of these objects are too inflexible to have served as such, and it has been suggested that they were actually used as decorative clips or to secure hair. They are often found alongside long pins, and may have been used in conjunction with them.

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.