Description

Summary: 1 bone pin (well made and highly polished) with rounded perforated head found with a secondary cremation under an inverted urn (now lost) 1ft below the top of Bowl Barrow Wilsford G40, excavated by William Cunnington.

Research results

A Bronze Age bone pin found with a secondary cremation in Bowl Barrow Wilsford G40, excavated by William Cunnington in the early 19th century. Many pins from this early period show signs of considerable wear, suggesting many had long use lives and may have been highly valued.

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.