Scanned image of a drawing of a bone point.

Description Scanned image of a drawing of a bone point.

Date c. 1895 to 1920

Collection Papers of John Nicolson, antiquarian, Keiss, Caithness, Scotland

Catalogue Number SC 876354

Category On-line Digital Images

Scope and Content Drawing of bone point from Nybster broch, Caithness, Highland Nybster broch is located on a promontory south of the village of Ackergill, between John O' Groats and Wick on the north-east coast of Caithness. The broch and the associated outbuildings were excavated by Sir Francis Tress Barry (1825-1907) in 1895-96. A monument at the site, which was built to commemorate the excavations, can be clearly seen from the road. This drawing by John Nicolson (1843-1934) is of a bone point found during the excavations at Nybster. It may have been used as a borer, or a large awl. Such artefacts were used to puncture holes during the manufacture of leather goods. Nicolson, a resident of Nybster, was a sculptor and artist with a keen interest in the archaeology of the area. He illustrated many of the objects and sites that were discovered during Barry's excavations, providing an important record of these early broch excavations. Source: RCAHMS contribution to SCRAN.

Permalink http://canmore.org.uk/collection/876354

File Format (TIF) Tagged Image File Format bitmap