(ORDO NEWS) — Archaeologists have discovered a fragment of a bone artifact made from a human skull near Cambridge.
A rare item shaped like a comb, but judging by the missing signs of wear, it may have been used as an amulet. The find dates back to the Iron Age (750 BC – 43 AD).
The modernization of the A14 highway between the English cities of Cambridge and Huntingdon required large-scale archaeological research.
As a result of excavations, scientists discovered evidence of human activity, covering the period from the Stone Age to the Middle Ages.
So, at the disposal of archaeologists were more than five thousand flint artifacts, the oldest of which date back to the Mesolithic era (about 10000-4000 BC), numerous fragments of ceramics from different eras, as well as several prehistoric sanctuaries and burial grounds.
Prominent among the Iron Age finds are evidence of beer production dating back to around 400 BC, an ornate long-handled comb, and a wooden ladder from 525–457 BC.
The Roman period is represented, in particular, by evidence of pottery, a rare coin minted under Emperor Leliana in the 3rd century AD, a gata amulet carved with the face of the gorgon Medusa, an artificial pond, a military camp and unusual burials.
Early medieval finds include the remains of three large Anglo-Saxon settlements, in one of which, in particular, a blacksmith’s workshop was excavated.
Also dated to this period are tools for making textiles and fragments of jewelry.
Researchers from the London Museum of Archeology have reported a new discovery made during security and rescue excavations in the village of Bar Hill (Cambridgeshire).
In this settlement, archaeologists discovered an unusual fragment of a bone artifact that dates back to the Iron Age (750 BC – 43 AD).
Initially, the find was mistaken for a bone comb, but then more thorough research was carried out by osteologists led by Michael Marshall (Michael Marshall).
It turned out that this item was made from a fragment of a human skull. Moreover, the absence of signs of wear indicates that the artifact was not used for utilitarian purposes.
Considering that a round hole was drilled into it, the researchers suggested that the product could be worn as an amulet.
The researchers noted that amulets made from the bones of human skulls were common in Iron Age Britain. But the find from the village of Bar Hill is also attractive because it resembles a comb.
Previously, two similar objects have already been found in England in the 1970s and 2000s, both 15-16 kilometers from this settlement.
Perhaps the artifacts testify to the existence of a certain tradition that was common only in this part of Britain.
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