Catalogue
Find number 1. This undated needle was made out of a pig fibula, thus necessitating minimal shaping. Indeed, a large part of the surface consists of the original surface of the bone. Where traces of manufacture are visible, they are due to a scraping and/or cutting motion. The needle is faceted in cross-section. The end of the needle is wide compared to the shaft and has a large drilled straight perforation. The needle was used for the processing of plant fibres.
Find number 153. This needle, dated to the Migration period, was made out of a pig fibula. The reverse of this needle is flared. The needle is partly hollow as the marrow cavity that transports blood through the bone is present in this needle, starting from the tip. The needle was shaped by scraping and/or cutting and in some areas the old bone surface is still visible. The needle was probably used on different materials.
Find number 1001. Also dating to the Merovingian period, this needle was made out of a pig fibula. The flared reverse side of the needle shows traces of manufacture by both scraping and polishing. The needle’s tip lower part mostly consists of spongeosum. The perforation is oblong in shape. The tip was probably also shaped but is unfortunately missing. The needle was used on plant fibres. The degree in which the wear traces have developed suggests that it was used for a shorter time than the other needles analysed.
Find number 1024. This needle, dating to the Merovingian period, was made out of a pig fibula. It is complete and faceted in cross-section. From halfway up the shaft it is rather flat with a slightly oblong, hourglass shaped eye. On one of the sides it is clearly visible that two holes were perforated very close to each other. They join into one perforation on the needle’s other side. The needle was shaped by scraping and/or cutting and was probably finished by polishing. The needle was probably used on plant fibres.
Find number 1065. This needle, dating to the Merovingian period, was made out of a long bone fragment of an unidentified mammal. It was shaped by scraping and/or cutting and finished by polishing. At the tip the tool is round in cross-section, whereas near the perforation it is flat in shape. The eye is hourglass shaped. On parts of the surface a greyish brown colour of unknown origin is visible on top of which there are use wear traces. The colour therefore seems to be part of the bone. The needle was used for processing plant fibres.
Find number 2650. This needle, dating to the Migration period and made out of a long bone fragment from an unidentified mammal, is very irregularly shaped by scraping and/or cutting. The perforation is slightly hourglass shaped and oblong. The needle seems to have been used on different materials. The wear traces indicate skin/leather, plant materials and possibly wool.
Find number 3453. This pin is dated to the Merovingian period. It was made out of a long bone fragment from an unidentified mammal. The pin is faceted in cross-section and was shaped by scraping and/or cutting. Some hack marks on the surface are indicative of some faults during this phase of the manufacturing process. The shaft shows traces that resemble the traces seen on an experiment used to sew hair. The traces on this archaeological tool are, however, a bit more greasy in appearance. The experiment was done on clean hair and it is possible that the traces on the archaeological tool represent oilier or dirtier hair. The circular shaped end of this pin shows traces that differ from those on the shaft. They are probably the result of frequent handling of this hair pin.
Find number 3869. This unidentified object dates to the Merovingian period and was made out of a bone fragment from an unidentified mammal. Although it appears straight, its shape is irregular. It is shaped by scraping and/or cutting the bone. The object displays traces of contact with hide over its entire surface. This suggests that the object was pulled through hide or skin. The reverse of the object is also rounded.
Find number 5528. This needle is dated to the Migration period. It was made out of a long bone from an unidentified mammal. The needle is completely flat, unlike the other needles in this study. The needle only displays traces from the final polishing phase of manufacture, remnants of the spongeosum are still visible. The perforation of this needle was made by placing two holes close to each other. The needle was used to work plant fibres.
Find number 5972. This pin dates to the Merovingian period and was made out of red deer antler. The pin is faceted in cross-section. These facets are the result of cutting or scraping this pin into shape. The entire surface displays traces of contact with wool. This pin was probably used as a fibula on a woollen garment.