Abstract
In 2015 an engraved shale pendant was found during excavations at the Early Mesolithic site of Star Carr, UK. Engraved motifs on Mesolithic pendants are extremely rare, with the exception of amber pendants from southern Scandinavia. The artwork on the pendant is the earliest known Mesolithic art in Britain; the 'barbed line' motif is comparable to styles on the Continent, particularly in Denmark. When it was first uncovered the lines were barely visible but using a range of digital imaging techniques it has been possible to examine them in detail and determine the style of engraving as well as the order in which the lines might have been made. In addition, microwear and residue analyses were applied to examine whether the pendant showed signs that it had been strung or worn, and whether the lines had been made more visible through the application of pigments, as has been suggested for some Danish amber pendants. This approach of using multiple scientific and analytical techniques has not been used previously and provides a methodology for the examination of similar artefacts in the future.
Highlights
During the 2015 excavation season at Star Carr (Figure 1), a shale pendant with lines engraved into it was found in the lake edge deposits
It is always possible that the amber pendant and celtiform shale pendant were contemporary with the engraved pendant; as there is no contextual information for those finds, this hypothesis will remain unresolved
Through integrating a broad variety of scientific and imaging techniques to study this engraved pendant, displaying the earliest recorded art in Mesolithic Britain, we have developed an in-depth understanding of its likely source, production, method of engraving, and its depositional context
Summary
In 2015 an engraved shale pendant was found during excavations at the Early Mesolithic site of Star Carr, UK. The artwork on the pendant is the earliest known Mesolithic art in Britain; the 'barbed line' motif is comparable to styles on the Continent, in Denmark When it was first uncovered the lines were barely visible but using a range of digital imaging techniques it has been possible to examine them in detail and determine the style of engraving as well as the order in which the lines might have been made.
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