box lid-3

Artefact Alive

The wood was found to be a single riven oak plank about 6mm thick. Nineteen bone mounts had been attached to the top using iron rivets. The mounts were made from split cattle rib bones and a scapula, cut to size and shape. Many of the mounts were decorated with a zigzag pattern of double lines composed of repeated dots, made using a double-pointed punch. Other strips were decorated with parallel lines and ring-and-dot decoration in different combinations.

Boxes decorated in this way have a long history, with examples from the Roman period onwards; there are fragments from 11th or 12th century contexts in York, Dublin and elsewhere suggesting popularity at that time. On the Continent, cathedral treasuries house complete caskets mounted with bone or ivory strips which might have held relics and other valuables. The examples from York must also have been used for small precious belongings — perhaps coins, jewellery or other personal items.

The box lid from Coppergate is now on display in JORVIK where all can admire the craftsmanship of the original artisan thanks to the painstaking and careful work of the archaeological conservators.

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Find number 1976.7, 3572; catalogue number 6964. Length 336mm, width 143mm, thickness 7.1mm. For more information see The Archaeology of York 17/12, Bone, Antler, Ivory and Horn from Anglo-Scandinavian and Medieval York by A. MacGregor, A.J. Mainman and N.S.H. Rogers.