A comb made from a human skull has been listed among 280,000 “items of interest” discovered between 2016 and 2018 while a highway in England was undergoing improvements.
The artifact, dubbed the “Bar Hill Comb” because it was found at Bar Hill during improvements to the A14 highway system, dates back to the Iron Age or between 750 BC and 43 AD, BBC reported. Calling the find “truly astonishing,” lead archaeologist Michael Marshall told the outlet only two other comparable items have been found in Great Britain each of which were discovered within 15 miles of the Bar Hill comb.
The ‘Bar Hill comb’ is one of only three examples ever found – all around the Cambridgeshire areahttps://t.co/WK7EuaAGLp
— Cambridgeshire Live (@Cambslive) February 28, 2023
Though the artifact is shaped and formed like a comb, researchers are not certain what purpose it served, though they believe some objects made from human bones may have been used in special rituals pertaining to the dead, the outlet stated.
“The Bar Hill Comb may have been a highly symbolic and powerful object for members of the local community. It is possible it was carved from the skull of an important member of Iron Age society whose presence was in some way preserved and commemorated through their bones,” Marshall stated, according to the BBC.
Marshall added that there appeared to be no evidence of wear on the teeth of the comb, which further denoted to him its function was more symbolic. Pointing to a circular hole on the artifact, Marshall suggested the comb might have been used instead as an amulet.
“Rather than being an anonymous piece of bone, its symbolism and significance would therefore have been immediately apparent to anyone who encountered it,” he told the outlet.
The Bar Hill Comb will be housed at the Cambridgeshire Archaeology Archive where most archaeological finds in the country are stored, the BBC reported. (RELATED: Archaeologists Discover Ancient Artifact Believed To Be The ‘Oldest’ Of Its Kind)
“This is a further example of the spectacular results from the excavations for the A14 improvements, adding detail and insight into our understanding of the human activity across Cambridgeshire and beyond,” Dr. Steve Sherlock, archaeology lead for the A14 project told the outlet.