From Bone to Bead: Research Update
- Emma Jones
- 10 hours ago
- 2 min read
It's been six months since Emma began her research on the Skara Brae bead assemblage and she's managed to pack a lot into the first half of her year!
Over 5,000 beads are estimated to have been recovered from antiquarian clearances between 1890's-1930 and the archaeological excavations led by David Clarke in the 1970's. Today the beads are housed in multiple collections, including the British Museum, National Museums Scotland and Orkney Museum.
This year, her research focuses on a collection of beads, made from the roots of teeth, that make up approximately 70% of the bead assemblage. By combining artefact analysis, biomolecular analysis, experimental archaeology, and wear analysis, Emma aims to address key questions about how the beads were manufactured, including which species were selected for ornament production and what technologies and processes were involved.
Emma is incredibly pleased to announce that she has been fortunate to have been awarded grants from the Orkney Archaeological Society, the Society of Antiquaries of Scotland and University of York to help facilitate her research. The grants have allowed her to carry out Zooarchaeology by Mass Spectrometry (ZooMS) and Amelogenin analysis, access the wider collections at the British Museum and undertake a research trip to Orkney to study the artefacts in Orkney Museum and Stromness Museum.
As we move into the latter part of the year, her attention is now focused on analysing her results, exploring the discussions the research raises and preparing her thesis for final submission. Before the project ends, she is pleased to announce she will be hosting a talk for the Orkney Archaeological Society in October which will be avaliable to watch online after the event. She's looking forward to sharing more with you in due course!
Upcoming Research Talks:
