Focus on finds: bone pin

This strange worked bone, probably the shaft of a polished pin, was found in Structure Eight on July 22, 2019.

We say “strange” because the artefact is very dark in colour and may have been treated with some substance.

Alternatively, this may simply be the result of post-depositional processes or an indication of the material it once came into contact with.

It is one of the few bone artefacts discovered at the Ness, as in general the soil is too acidic for their preservation. If only the soil was a little more alkaline.

But we can only dream of the range and number of bone artefacts that no doubt once graced the Ness…