May 2026
A Medieval carved Bone Fitting from Essex
This unusual and delicately decorated bone object was recovered in fragments during excavations of a rural settlement dating from the 12th–14th centuries at Great Dunmow, Essex (Pedro 2023). It was possible to refit the pieces into two separate parts of identical shape, conceivably the back and front of a fitting of as yet unknown function. The pieces were associated with pottery dating from the early to mid-13th century.
While none of the two pieces are complete, enough of each survives to show an extended lozenge shape that is widest towards the base and with a length of at least 55mm. The wider part is well preserved on both pieces and features the face of an animal with the mouth wide open. Two tendrils emanate from the mouth, each directed outwards and downwards, with a small triangular feature at the centre. Indications of a fringe between the ears, and also below the cheeks, show the depicted animal is a lion. The face is partly enclosed by a decorative frame formed by four grooves with the two outermost framing a rope or spiral design. The frame starts at the widest part of the piece, running inside the edge of the elongated part; the plain edge and centre above the animal head are crossed by sequences of double lines within rows of single dots. At the base, below the animal face, both pieces retain a narrowed finial marked with four parallel grooves across. One of the pieces also retains a small in-situ iron rivet, situated just inside the corner at the widest end. A further small piece that doesn’t refit has the same parallel grooves across as the base below the face image and is likely the corresponding finial at the other end. This piece retains the edge of a small rivet hole with some remains of iron corrosion. It might suggest that originally the object was fixed with three rivets, one each flanking the face at the wider end, and one at the elongated end.
With no current parallels, it is difficult to evaluate the function and meaning of the Great Dunmow bone fitting. The motif with the animal face with tendrils emanating from the mouth, however, has clear parallels in Romanesque sculpture. It can be seen on two voussoir fragments from Reading Abbey (c 1125) that feature pairs of lions with what is described as strands of foliage protruding from their mouths (Zarnecki et al. 1984, 170‒71, cat. nos 1270o‒p). Similar images of single lions can be seen on capitals from St Swithin, Quenington, Gloucestershire (Turnock 2015, 97 fig. 8‒9e). The motif may be seen alongside the many representations of the lion in Romanesque art, perhaps comparable to the lion as a symbol of resurrection, breathing life into its newborn cubs (Stige 2016, fig. 8).
The function, presuming the two panels form part of a single fitting, is more difficult, although it is likely to represent a profane rather than ecclesiastical object. The elongated lozenge shape might suggest a parallel in strap-ends or dagger sheath chapes although these are objects normally made of metal. Bone versions of metal fittings are however not unknown, as can be seen in an unfinished strap fitting from Westminster Abbey with strong parallels in metal items from the 10‒11th centuries (Gaimster 2015). For the Great Dunmow object it is of some interest that a very similar, although more stylised or simplified version of the lion motif can be seen on two rectangular copper-alloy strap-ends or chapes with a suggested date in the late 10th to 11th centuries (Webley and Burnett 2013). The most well-preserved, from White Colne in Essex, features a central animal face mask with two emanating tendrils with a triangular feature between them (Ibid., fig. 8c; Portable Antiquities Scheme ESS-6DBA05). On this piece, instead of animal ears, the face mask is surmounted by what is described as a trilobe acanthus. On the second piece, from South Stoke in Oxfordshire, the motif is even more stylised (Ibid., fig. 8d; Portable Antiquities Scheme SUR-4EA842). The simplification and abstraction of motifs is a well-known feature of early medieval metalwork; they may reflect styles of different workshops but also methods of production, such as mechanical copying and mass production of items (Gaimster 1998, 204‒6). Of particular interest is also the transfer of imagery from ecclesiastical contexts to everyday objects.
Märit Gaimster
References:
• Gaimster, Märit (1998): Vendel period gold bracteates on Gotland. On the significance of Germanic art, Acta Archaeologica Lundensia series altera in 8° No. 27, Lund
• Gaimster, Märit (2015): May 2015, Worked Bone Research Group, Bonetool of the Month Archives 2015
• Pedro, R. (2023): Woodside Way (Northern Area), Great Dunmow, Essex: Post-Excavation Assessment and Updated Project Design, Pre-Construct Archaeology Ltd., unpublished report R15422
• Stige, Morten (2016): The lion in Romanesque art, meaning or decoration?, Tahiti 6(4)
• Turnock, Jonathan Andrew (2015): Reconsidering the reign of King Stephen: a contextual study of sculpture created in Gloucestershire between 1135 and 1154, Master thesis, Durham University
• Webley, R. & Burnett, L. (2013): Some unusual late 9th- to 12th-century copper-alloy strap-ends or chapes. – Medieval Archaeology 57, 275–278
• Zarnecki, G. / Holt, J. / Holland, T. (1984): English Romanesque Art 1066‒1200, London
April 2026
Aztec Bone Awls
These two awls made of white-tailed deer (Odocoileus virginianus) femora have been found in the temple Tlillancalco (dark house), Tenochtitlan, today Ciudad de México, within the shown ceramic bowl, formerly painted blue with black designs. The awls were used by Aztec priests (Mexicas) to withdraw blood for sacrifices from different parts of their own bodies. Pieces of paper were soaked with the blood, which were subsequently burnt. The blue colour of the vessel indicates that the offerings were dedicated to the rain god Tlaloc. They date to a time period after 1430. The finds are exhibited in the Sala Mexica in the Museo Nacional de Antropología (MNA) in Ciudad de México.
Hans Christian Küchelmann
March 2026
Cassowary Bone Daggers from New Guinea
Cassowary bone dagger attributed to the Abelam people (accession no. 990.54.28190.12, © Hood Museum of Art, Dartmouth College; from Dominy et al. 2018).
The cassowary, a ratite closely related to ostriches, emus, and moas, is one of the largest indigenous land animals and the largest bird of New Guinea. Cassowaries are divided into three species: Casuarius unappendiculatus, Casuarius bennetti, and Casuarius casuarius, with each species inhabiting parts of the broader New Guinea region. While C. unappendiculatus, also referred to as the northern cassowary, is endemic to the northern lowland parts of New Guinea, C. benetti or dwarf cassowary inhabits the more central highlands and C. casuarius, or the southern cassowary, inhabits the southern regions (Tsang et al. 2022, 547-548). Fully grown, they can measure up to 170 cm in height and can weigh more than 50 kg. Characteristic features of cassowaries include their coarse black plumage, blue neck and casque-like protuberance on the top of their head (Del Hoyo et al. 1992, 90f.).
Cassowaries and humans have a long-standing relationship. Their bones and eggs appear in Late Pleistocene archaeological contexts as old as 30 ka, in which cassowaries were probably used as a food source. Consequently, cassowary bones and eggshells are relatively uncommon but not exceptional in the archaeological record. Cassowary bone tools, on the other hand, have so far not been identified in the archaeological record of New Guinea, which is generally explained by poor preservation conditions and limited archaeological research in this specific area (Tsang et al. 2022, 549-551). In contrast, one tool has been described many times in more recent anthropological and ethnographic contexts (some as recent as 2018) and seems to be deeply rooted in the different indigenous cultures of New Guinea, especially in the Sepik region in northern New Guinea (Dominy et al. 2018, 1-5; Tsang et al. 2022, 551-554): the cassowary bone dagger. These daggers are mostly made from the cassowary’s tibiotarsus and are usually about 30 cm long with either a sharpened edge or a sharp point at the dagger’s distal end (Tsang
et al. 2022, 550f.). Apart from their intended purpose as a weapon, the daggers can also be objects of artistic expression, often being nearly fully covered in elaborate incised abstract or representational designs (Dominy et al. 2018, 2-3) or being used as stencils in indigenous rock art (Tsang et al. 2021, 553-554). They also seem to have profound cultural meaning. This meaning can vary in different cultural contexts, but generally, the daggers are often associated with social prestige (Dominy et al. 2018, 5f.), male hunting ability, initiation rituals, and ritualistic “payback” homicides (Tsang et al. 2022, 560f.). The cassowary itself often plays a major role in indigenous belief systems (Tsang et al. 2022, 548f.), which provides insight into why these daggers have such a deep cultural significance.
As previously stated, to date no cassowary bone daggers have been identified in the archaeological record of New Guinea, making it difficult to estimate when the use of cassowary bone daggers first emerged. Despite the important role cassowaries play in indigenous cultures, this question remains unanswered. Therefore, further research is needed to better understand the origins and history of cassowary bone daggers. Future excavations, combined with ethnographic and zooarchaeological approaches, may ultimately help bridge the gap between the ancient use of cassowary remains and the indigenous tradition of dagger manufacture.
Bernard Hoffmann
A cassowary bone dagger object at Pundimbung rock shelter in 2018 (photo: Hubert Forestier, Papuan Past Project; from Tsang et al. 2022).
References:
• Del Hoyo, J. / Elliot, A. / Sargatal, J. (1992): Handbook of the birds
of the world. Volume I. Ostrich to Ducks, Barcelona
• Dominy, Nathaniel J. / Mills, Samuel T. / Yakacki, Christopher M. / Roscoe, Paul B. / Carpenter, R. Dana (2018): New Guinea bone daggers were engineered to preserve social prestige. – Royal Society Open Science 5(4): 172067
• Tsang, Roxanne / Katuk, Sebastien / May, Sally K. / Taçon, Paul S. C. / Ricaut, François-Xavier / Leavesley, Matthew G. (2022): Rock Art and (Re)Production of Narratives: A Cassowary Bone Dagger Stencil Perspective from Auwim, East Sepik, Papua New Guinea. – Cambridge Archaeological Journal 32(4), 547-565
February 2026
A cigarette holder from Delft
After the Dutch became acquainted with tobacco in the Americas, they brought it back home and the era of smoking began. In the seventeenth century tobacco was also grown in the Netherland and the production of clay pipes increased. Archaeologists nowadays find thousands of clay pipes in excavations throughout the country.
In a later period, other forms of smoking developed. Cigars were sold in Delft for example already in the 18th century. In the 19th century cigars were quite common, but were only smoked by gentlemen in special smoking rooms. The cigarette on the other hand became popular with the common people. At the end of the 19th century cigarettes were manufactured in factories and smoking cigarettes surpassed the smoking of pipes and cigars.
A new object which developed alongside the use of cigarettes, is the cigarette holder. It was a practical piece and prevented the fingers from being burned and to get tobacco in your mouth, but it was also a fashionable item. Cigarette holders were made of several materials, such as amber, ivory, silver and more. For cheaper versions, bone or wood was used.
During the excavations of a 19th century/early 20th century farm in Delft fragments of clay pipes were found, but also a cigarette holder and show the development of smoking in a farm household. It was made of bone and wood and was relatively short in relation to more expensive cigarette holders pictured in fancy fashion magazines. It is probably dated to the 1920s or 1930s. This find shows that the cigarette holder was widespread and not only used by the upper class.
Marloes Rijkelijkhuizen
Reference:
• Rijkelijkhuizen, Marloes J. (2025): Van pijp tot sigaret. – Delf 27(1), 12
January 2026
A bone handle or applique piece of probable Post-Medieval to Modern date
The object above has been found in April 2014 on the banks of the river Thames. It has been sent to the WBRG in November 2020 by Jo Ahmet, then Finds Liason Officer of the Kent County Council, UK, and collaborator of the British Portable Antiquities Scheme, with a request for comparative items and ideas for a possible function.
The object is roughly rectangular in plan and rectangular in cross section. The front face is decorated with zoomorphic creatures resembling seahorses with a curly tail (hippocamps?) a mane on the head and an eye, one creature on each half. The artefact has etched lines – centrally across the short dimension and each long side has a line running along the length approximately 3 mm from each edge.
The rear face is undecorated with a rough finish but has etched lines again 3 mm from each long edge and a single line centrally across the short dimension 16.58 mm long to join the long edge lines. There are two protuberances 5,8 mm wide and 4 mm long on one short end and matching broken off edges on the other end, suggesting the piece joined another with links like a puzzle. The reverse is roughly worked suggesting the back was attached to another object perhaps.
The piece is 55,6 mm in length, 23,49 mm wide, 5,49 mm thick and weighs 8,47 grams.
ID-no. PUBLIC-641D93.
The exact date of this object is uncertain but after examination by a number of specialists covering the Roman-Medieval periods, who have discounted it as dating to these periods a Post-Medieval to Modern date is tentatively suggested.
Walter (Jo) Ahmet
For further details see the corresponding page of the Portable Antiquities Scheme.