EMAP_2012_Report_6_1.pdf (7.3 MB) - The Heritage Council

(Hencken 1942, 53) and in the Scandinavian towns of Dublin (Bourke 2007, 414, 421),
Waterford (Hurley 1997d, 685) and Cork (Kelleher 2002). The excavations in Waterford have
produced a wide variety of bone and antler artefacts, including casket mounts, gamingpieces,
spindle-whorls, needles, needle-case, pin-beaters, pins, handles, toggles, drinking
horns, tuning pegs, a flute and whistle – all of which were recovered primarily from ditch fills,
house floors and associated backyards, and pits of twelfth and early thirteenth century date
(Hurley 1997d, 652-5).
At least 106 examples of an artefact known as a socketed longbone point have been
recovered from Irish early medieval sites (Mullins 2007, 35). Known variously as scoops or
gouges they were interpreted as socketed bone spearheads based on international
comparisons (ibid. 57). Bone was also used for sword pommels as seen in the early example
made from whalebone at Collierstown (Riddler and Trzaska-Nartowski 2009, 4-7). A bone
stamp was recovered from Roestown and may have been used to stamp leather (Riddler and
Trzaska-Nartowski 2009b, 7).
5.3: Raw materials, processes, manufacturing
Bone:
Large quantities of animal bone are regularly recovered from early medieval settlements and
much would have been easily accessible and suitable for bone-working. In fact, the
waterlogged conditions at Lagore preserved 50,000 lbs of animal bone (Hencken 1950, 241),
indicating that large midden heaps and butchery areas developed within settlements.
However as bone is an organic material, actual evidence for the working of this raw-material
survives only in a small number of sites in the form of unfinished and completed objects and
antler and bone off-cuts. It is likely that some objects such as pig-fibula pins could be
produced with relatively little skill though others such as antler combs and decorated pins
would have required much more expertise and were probably the work of semi-professionals
(MacGregor 1985, 55-72; Edwards 1990, 84). The evidence for the manufacture and use of
bone and antler pins were discussed in an as yet unpublished doctoral thesis (Boyle 2009).
Though bone was occasionally used for combs, antler was the preferred option since it was
more durable and pliable. Evidence for the various stages in the manufacture of antler
combs, indicated by the presence of cut antler-tines, flat rectangular blanks and finished
artefacts, and perforated bone discs or buttons were found at Clonfad, particularly from the
fills of the outer enclosure ditch (Stevens 2007, 43, 2010, 91). Similar evidence for the
production of bone buttons or discs was found at Raystown, while other evidence also
included a small number of antler tines, bone combs, toggles and two knife handles (Seaver
2010, 277).
Antler:
Fragments from composite bone or antler combs – a roughed-out incomplete bone pin and
the remains of a finished polished bone pin – were recovered from a midden at Illaunloughan
(Marshall and Walsh 2005, 185-7). Evidence for bone-working at Roestown consisted of
roughly-shaped and finished bone pins and other objects and four partially complete bone
combs (O'Hara 2007; 2009b, 69, 81) mostly from the enclosure ditches and bone combs and
various pieces of worked antler, including a knife handle with ring-and-dot decoration, were
found in similar contexts at Castlefarm (O'Connell 2009a, 47, 54). At Johnstown I, animal
bone was used to fashion seven pins, two unfinished pin shafts, two combs, a bead and a
sewing needle (Clarke 2010, 69). Two roughly worked bone pieces – probably in the process
of being worked into spearheads from marrow-scoops – were recorded at Raheennamadra
(Stenberger 1966, 47-8) and a polished or worked bone piece, possibly used as a scoop or
knife was found at Bowling Green (Fanning 1970, 16).
Evidence for the manufacture of antler knife handles has been identified at Cathedral Hill,
Armagh (Gaskell-Brown and Harper 1984, 125-8) and comprised two partially smoothed
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