Piece of whalebone, possibly used in the base of a leather bucket

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This piece of whalebone, possibly a spoked stiffener for the base of a skin or leather bucket, was found at the Broch of Burray in Orkney. It was used sometime between 200 BC and 400 AD.

The stiffener was cut into the shape of a wheel from a portion of a whale vertebra (a segment of the spinal column).

People collected bone from stranded carcasses of whales, porpoises and dolphins. In the largely treeless north and west, whalebone was used as a substitute for wood. It was strong, dense and resilient, and came in very large sizes.

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• Online ID: 000-100-038-399-C
• Image Rights Holder: National Museums Scotland
• Project: National Museums Scotland
  Project description   View all records in project
• Ref: National Museums Scotland  X.GC 36
• Date: Between 200 BC and 400 AD
  
• Material: Bone, vertebra, whale; cut into the shape of a wheel
  Whalebone / portion
  
• Dimensions:
• What: Whalebone / portion
  
• Subject:
• Who:
• Where: Scotland, Orkney, Burray
  
• Event:
• Description: Portion of whale vertebra cut into the shape of a wheel, from Burray
  
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