Antler and Bone working of Anglo-Saxon Ipswich

A new publication, funded by Historic England, is underway led by the Archaeological Service and written by authors Ian Riddler and Nicola Trzaska-Nartowski.

Ipswich has one of the largest and finest assemblages of antler and bone yet recovered from this country.

Between 1974-1994 Suffolk County Council Archaeological Service (SCCAS) excavations in the historic core of Ipswich generated an amazing 2,300 fragments of antler and bone waste, and just over 1,300 objects. Most of the material comes from contexts of seventh to twelfth century date.

SCCAS and authors Ian Riddler and Nicola Trzaska-Nartowski have successfully secured funding from Historic England to publish this internationally important assemblage as an East Anglian Archaeology monograph.

Authors Ian and Nicola say, “Ipswich has a fabulous collection of objects of antler and bone, including brooch moulds, pins, strap-ends and weaving equipment, as well as the largest collection of early Viking combs from any English site. There are also several objects that indicate links to the Continent, particularly northern France, Frisia and southern Scandinavia. We are very excited to be able to make such a remarkable assemblage publicly available.”

The monograph focuses on bone and antler craft activity in Ipswich during Anglo-Saxon and medieval times and will be published in the winter of 2021.

This project is funded by Historic England.