Worked Bone & Antler

51 worked bone and antler artefacts were discovered at the broch. They include everyday tools and personal ornaments as well as more enigmatic objects.

This antler comb was found during excavations at Clachtoll Broch in Sutherland. It dates to the Iron Age and was used in textile production, possibly for wool combing. There are signs of use-wear around the perforation, showing where it has been suspended on a cord or string, perhaps carried by the person who used it, or simply hung for storage.

3D laser scanning collects such detailed information that even the texture of the artefacts can be reproduced

Highlights

Bone comb from Clachtoll Broch - 3D model by AOC Archaeology Group (@aocarchaeology) [b5bc312]

This is one of three weaving combs found at the broch, used in making textiles. This one was kept until only a single tooth remained.

Cetacean bone sword pommel from Clachtoll broch, an Iron Age settlement in NW Scotland. This pommel would have fitted to the end of the sword or dagger hilt, and was made from whale or dolphin bone. Clachtoll broch is an Iron Age settlement, dating between 100 BC and AD- 100, in NW Scotland, UK.

This small decorative pommel made of cetacean (whale/dolphin) tooth or ivory would have adorned the end of a sword or a dagger's handle

Bone pins like this are a common find on Iron Age brochs in Scotland. SF103 - Clachtoll Bone pin - 3D model by AOC Archaeology Group (@aocarchaeology) [7d09de0]

Pins like these owe their splayed head to the bone's natural shape, which helps the pin stay in place within the wearer’s clothing.

This object is an Iron Age working surface, made from the vertebra of an adult whale, which was recovered during excavations from a collapsed broch at Clachtoll, Assynt. Despite the areas of significant damage, this artefact is largely complete: what survives is the body of the vertebra, but the naturally protruding spinous and transverse processes of the bone are lost.

The vertebra of an adult whale was repurposed as a working surface. We can explore which tools were used by analysing the marks left behind.

 
3D prints of a curved metal object (reaping hook) and two weaving combs on a light background

Touching the past
via 3D prints

Many of the artefacts from the broch are fragile. These digital reconstructions were created from laser scan data and painted to replicate the originals exactly. They can be handled without risk of damage.