File:Early Medieval possible Bone Skate (FindID 878116).jpg

English: Bone possible skate fragment. A large mammal long bone, probably cannon bone of horse, with a hole of diameter 11.7mm drilled from the posterior aspect immediately below the facets of the articular surface so as to meet the natural longitudinal cavity in the middle of the bone, and breaking out at the other side. Butchery marks appear as angled cuts close to the end of the bone. The facets of the articular surface are abraded, and some bone has been lost around the drilled hole. Angled chopping has trimmed the posterior surface with at least two hefty blows, resulting in or contributing to the fracture of the bone at its mid-shaft, leaving a jagged point.

The perforation of this robust bone is a feature of objects made from the same material and identified as bone skates (Macgregor 1985, pages 141-144). The hole would enable a peg to be inserted to secure ankle lashings. The trimming of the posterior surface may have been intended to afford purchase to the skater's foot, while the flatter natural configuration of the other, anterior, side of the bone lent itself to smooth movement over ice, and could be exaggerated and polished by subsequent wear. The use of such skates extends back to the Bronze Age, is widely recorded in early medieval contexts in Europe, and in Britain is known up to the 13^th century. There is little or no wear on the anterior surface of the bone, suggesting the object saw scant use, or even that it was broken while being made. Suggested date: Early Medieval to Medieval, 850-1300.

Length: 170mm, Width: 42.5mm, Thickness: 32.6mm, Weight: 120.29gms