Archaeologists unearth prehistoric comb made from human skull in the UK

If you are interested in the field of archaeology, you would know how every finding is crucial and unique. In this regard, today, let us tell you about the latest discovery in the field. It is a 2000 year old comb made from a portion of a human skull than has been unearthed four miles north west of Cambridge in England. Experts have cited that it traces back to the Iron Age and has once again proven how prehistoric humans preserved their ancestors’ remains.  

Deemed as “an incredibly rare find” by the team of researchers based at the Museum of London Archaeology (MOLA), the bone comb isn’t the only one found at the site. In fact, earlier, two others had been discovered nearby, only within 15 miles away from this artifact. One was found in the 1970s and has a carved teeth and the other was found in the early 2000s and has carved lines.  

While the archaeologists are yet to figure out the usage of the comb or why it was made in the first place, they assume it was nothing more than a ritual carried out by the Iron Age population in England, especially the ones staying in Cambridgeshire. They have also said how amazing it is to discover hyper-local influences in groups that lived thousands of years ago.  

Anyhow, this newly discovered comb has been named as the “Bar Hill Comb” and shows no signs of use. Guess what does it mean? It means that it was not meant for beautification but was used as an amulet (to be worn around the neck), as evidenced by a hole punched through it. It also features a dozen teeth and is two inches long. The name Bar Hill has been derived from the specific archaeological site wherein 280,000 other artifacts have been excavated from 2016 to 2018.  

For those unaware, the Iron Age in England spanned from 750 BC to 43 BC during which it was mainly populated by tribal groups that built hills, forts and castles. This particular comb can be dated between 400 and 100 BC.  

Interestingly, the comb may have been carved out of a skull of a significant member of the Iron Age society whose successors wanted to preserve his or her memory by using the bones to make artifacts such as combs.  

The finding was published in the journal Live Science and the comb will soon be sent to the Cambridgeshire Archaeology Archive that houses artifacts discovered in the region.