Scientists Find 'Incredibly Rare' Ancient Iron Age Comb Made From Human Skull, 'Astonished' to See Hyper-Local Influence

The A14 improvement scheme (highway project) from 2016 to 2018 led to the discovery of many important historical artifacts in England. Amongst them was a rare and peculiar ancient comb made out of the human skull, BBC reported.

The finding has been named Bar Hill Comb and was identified amongst the various excavated items by scientists from the Museum of London Archaeology (MOLA) in 2023. The scientists labeled the find "truly astonishing."

The comb was located in the small town of Bar Hill in Cambridge, Artnet reported. Initially, the experts were unsure of what the comb was made of, but after months of examination, they uncovered that it was carved out of the human skull. Before the Bar Hill comb, two other human bone combs were discovered, both of which were found 10 miles away from the Bar Hill site.

These findings made researchers think that human skull combs could have been a part of an iron-age tradition that historians have yet to uncover. Furthermore, the tradition could have been limited to a particular part of England as the combs were discovered near each other.

The Bar Hill comb did not show much wear and tear. This implies that it was not used profusely by humans in the past. Researchers believe that the artifact could have been worn as an amulet and possibly served a ritualistic function.

"The Bar Hill Comb may have been a highly symbolic and powerful object for members of the local community," said MOLA Find’s specialist Michael Marshall. "It is possible it was carved from the skull of an important member of Iron Age society, whose presence was in some way preserved and commemorated through their bones."

This assertion aligns with what historians know of the relationship between human skulls and the Iron Age communities of the British Isles. Skulls were used as talismans to keep away evil spirits. The Bar Hill comb could have been used similarly. According to researchers, the circular hole drilled at the top of the artifact is a good spot for inserting the string and making the whole thing come together as a locket.

The dips and valleys of the comb are uneven, which researchers think could be to mimic the "natural sutures that join sections of the human skull." Experts are still speculating about the tool and are waiting for more analysis to make conclusions.