Copper-alloy awls and their use in Bronze Age craft practices.

A selection of copper alloy awls on display in a museum case. ©AncientCraft/Emma Jones

Copper-alloy awls have remained a relatively understudied tool type from the British Bronze Age and for the past year, Em has been exploring their role in craft practices.

Three main groups were identified by Thomas (2005), and Em has been working experimentally to test the effectiveness of awl typologies for the drilling and production of Bronze Age personal ornamentation (Jones, Forthcoming) since several awls have been found in graves with jet or jet-like necklaces or studs.

Using a copper-alloy awl in the production of a jet bead. ©AncientCraft/Emma Jones

Historically, the use of these tools have been attributed to tattooing, scarification, leather working and possible medical procedures.

Previous research by Woodward & Hunter (2015) recorded use-wear striations on 33 of the 59 awls studied, despite varying degrees of corrosion. Em will be analysing her experimental reference collection to compare use-wear traces to learn more about how these tools may have been used in the past.

Testing copper-alloy awls on Kimmeridge shale. ©AncientCraft/Emma Jones