from Mote of Mark, Kirkcudbrightshire
These pieces of baked clay moulds were found at the native hillfort settlement at Mote of Mark in Kirkcudbrightshire. They provide evidence of metalworking between 500 and 700.
The moulds were used to produce decorated metalwork, although none are complete enough to indicate the complete shapes of the objects. The decoration includes interlaced strands and other geometric patterns.
Bronze and silver could be cast into very intricate and ornate shapes using clay moulds. Specialist metalworkers, working under the protection of a powerful leader at the Mote of Mark, produced fine brooches, pins and other objects. These moulds could only be used only once.
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