A rare medieval tool used to create elaborate hairstyles has been found during archaeological excavations at Eilean Donan Castle in the Scottish Highlands. Dating from the 13th century, the finely carved object is the first of its kind discovered in Scotland.
Known as a gravoir, the slender implement would have been used to part hair precisely and arrange it according to fashions influenced by medieval France. Only two other examples are known from elsewhere in the United Kingdom.
The gravoir was discovered last year during a research-led excavation programme at Eilean Donan, one of Scotland’s best-known castles. It has since been acquired by National Museums Scotland as part of a much larger collection of objects revealing life at the castle during the 13th and 14th centuries.
Continental fashion in a Highland castle
Gravoir – copyright National Museums Scotland
While most surviving gravoirs are made from ivory, the Eilean Donan example was carved from the antler of a local red deer. It features a small figure wearing a hood and holding a book.
The choice of material makes it an unusual example of a European-style luxury object created using a resource available in the Scottish Highlands. Its presence also indicates that the castle’s elite inhabitants were aware of, and participated in, fashions found elsewhere in medieval Europe.
“This remarkable gravoir shows us how elite inhabitants of Eilean Donan were engaging with fashions on the continent,” said Dr Alice Blackwell, Senior Curator of Medieval Archaeology and History at National Museums Scotland. “However the assemblage reveals a much broader picture of life in the 13th and 14th centuries. It allows us to imagine how the full social spectrum of people inside the castle walls spent their days, whether styling their hair, toiling in a smithy or making simple toys for children to play with. It’s a privileged glimpse into life in medieval Scotland that we don’t often get.”
The excavations were undertaken by FAS Heritage after being commissioned by the Conchra Charitable Trust, which owns Eilean Donan Castle. Although the reconstructed castle has become one of Scotland’s most recognisable landmarks and a popular visitor attraction, relatively little was previously known about everyday life there during its medieval heyday.
Situated where three sea lochs meet, Eilean Donan occupied a strategically important position in the western Highlands. During the Middle Ages, it developed into a powerful centre of Highland Gaelic culture and lordship, with access to the maritime routes that connected communities along Scotland’s western coast and islands.
Feasting, music and games
A selection of objects from the Eilean Donan assemblage – copyright Duncan McGlynn
The gravoir is one of the highlights of an archaeological assemblage dating mainly from the 13th and 14th centuries. The collection includes material connected with feasting, hunting, music, games, metalworking and seafaring.
Brooches and dress pins offer further evidence of how the castle’s inhabitants presented themselves. The excavations also uncovered animal bones and ceramic crucibles, which were small vessels used to melt copper alloy, silver and gold.
Traces of precious metals within the crucibles suggest that jewellery and other personal accessories were being manufactured at the castle. The objects form part of what National Museums Scotland describes as one of the most important collections of medieval metalworking material in the United Kingdom.
Gaming pieces – copyright National Museums Scotland
The collection shows that craftspeople at Eilean Donan were producing a wide range of objects, from everyday buckles to weapons such as swords. Together, the finds reveal a busy working environment operating alongside the castle’s political, military and domestic functions.
Other discoveries provide evidence for how people passed their leisure time. Decorated gaming pieces were made from bone, while fragments of pottery were recycled to create additional pieces.
Buzz Bones – copyright National Museums Scotland
An iron jaw harp was also recovered. The small musical instrument was placed against the mouth and plucked to produce its distinctive sound. Another form of entertainment is represented by animal bones drilled with holes. These “buzz bones” would have been threaded onto a leather thong, twisted and then released to produce a buzzing noise. They may have served as children’s toys.
With enough material to fill around 80 boxes at the National Museums Collection Centre in Granton, Edinburgh, the Eilean Donan assemblage will now be available for further research. Its scale will allow archaeologists to examine not only the activities of the castle’s elite residents but also those of metalworkers, servants and children.
“Eilean Donan represents the very essence of a Scottish castle and its image is recognised around the world,” said Miranda van Lynden, Head Trustee at the Conchra Charitable Trust. “However we knew surprisingly little about life in the castle at the height of its power and influence in the 13th and 14th centuries. We commissioned these excavations to reveal some of these stories. We’re pleased that this assemblage can now be researched further, and we hope it will introduce the rich history of Eilean Donan to new audiences.”
Eilean Donan remained an important centre of Gaelic lordship between the 13th and 15th centuries, but its influence later declined. By 1650, the castle appears to have been poorly maintained, and in 1714 it was described as roofless and derelict.
During the Jacobite rising of 1719, the ruined castle was used as a supply depot by Jacobite forces. British warships bombarded the site before troops captured it and blew it up to prevent its further use by Jacobite supporters.
Eilean Donan remained in ruins until an extensive rebuilding campaign during the early 20th century created much of the castle seen by visitors today. The newly acquired archaeological collection now provides a clearer view of the medieval stronghold that existed centuries before that reconstruction.
Top Image: Dr Alice Blackwell with the gravoir. Copyright Duncan McGlynn.
A rare medieval tool used to create elaborate hairstyles has been found during archaeological excavations at Eilean Donan Castle in the Scottish Highlands. Dating from the 13th century, the finely carved object is the first of its kind discovered in Scotland.
Known as a gravoir, the slender implement would have been used to part hair precisely and arrange it according to fashions influenced by medieval France. Only two other examples are known from elsewhere in the United Kingdom.
The gravoir was discovered last year during a research-led excavation programme at Eilean Donan, one of Scotland’s best-known castles. It has since been acquired by National Museums Scotland as part of a much larger collection of objects revealing life at the castle during the 13th and 14th centuries.
Continental fashion in a Highland castle
While most surviving gravoirs are made from ivory, the Eilean Donan example was carved from the antler of a local red deer. It features a small figure wearing a hood and holding a book.
The choice of material makes it an unusual example of a European-style luxury object created using a resource available in the Scottish Highlands. Its presence also indicates that the castle’s elite inhabitants were aware of, and participated in, fashions found elsewhere in medieval Europe.
“This remarkable gravoir shows us how elite inhabitants of Eilean Donan were engaging with fashions on the continent,” said Dr Alice Blackwell, Senior Curator of Medieval Archaeology and History at National Museums Scotland. “However the assemblage reveals a much broader picture of life in the 13th and 14th centuries. It allows us to imagine how the full social spectrum of people inside the castle walls spent their days, whether styling their hair, toiling in a smithy or making simple toys for children to play with. It’s a privileged glimpse into life in medieval Scotland that we don’t often get.”
The excavations were undertaken by FAS Heritage after being commissioned by the Conchra Charitable Trust, which owns Eilean Donan Castle. Although the reconstructed castle has become one of Scotland’s most recognisable landmarks and a popular visitor attraction, relatively little was previously known about everyday life there during its medieval heyday.
Situated where three sea lochs meet, Eilean Donan occupied a strategically important position in the western Highlands. During the Middle Ages, it developed into a powerful centre of Highland Gaelic culture and lordship, with access to the maritime routes that connected communities along Scotland’s western coast and islands.
Feasting, music and games
The gravoir is one of the highlights of an archaeological assemblage dating mainly from the 13th and 14th centuries. The collection includes material connected with feasting, hunting, music, games, metalworking and seafaring.
Brooches and dress pins offer further evidence of how the castle’s inhabitants presented themselves. The excavations also uncovered animal bones and ceramic crucibles, which were small vessels used to melt copper alloy, silver and gold.
Traces of precious metals within the crucibles suggest that jewellery and other personal accessories were being manufactured at the castle. The objects form part of what National Museums Scotland describes as one of the most important collections of medieval metalworking material in the United Kingdom.
The collection shows that craftspeople at Eilean Donan were producing a wide range of objects, from everyday buckles to weapons such as swords. Together, the finds reveal a busy working environment operating alongside the castle’s political, military and domestic functions.
Other discoveries provide evidence for how people passed their leisure time. Decorated gaming pieces were made from bone, while fragments of pottery were recycled to create additional pieces.
An iron jaw harp was also recovered. The small musical instrument was placed against the mouth and plucked to produce its distinctive sound. Another form of entertainment is represented by animal bones drilled with holes. These “buzz bones” would have been threaded onto a leather thong, twisted and then released to produce a buzzing noise. They may have served as children’s toys.
With enough material to fill around 80 boxes at the National Museums Collection Centre in Granton, Edinburgh, the Eilean Donan assemblage will now be available for further research. Its scale will allow archaeologists to examine not only the activities of the castle’s elite residents but also those of metalworkers, servants and children.
“Eilean Donan represents the very essence of a Scottish castle and its image is recognised around the world,” said Miranda van Lynden, Head Trustee at the Conchra Charitable Trust. “However we knew surprisingly little about life in the castle at the height of its power and influence in the 13th and 14th centuries. We commissioned these excavations to reveal some of these stories. We’re pleased that this assemblage can now be researched further, and we hope it will introduce the rich history of Eilean Donan to new audiences.”
From medieval stronghold to Scottish landmark
Eilean Donan remained an important centre of Gaelic lordship between the 13th and 15th centuries, but its influence later declined. By 1650, the castle appears to have been poorly maintained, and in 1714 it was described as roofless and derelict.
During the Jacobite rising of 1719, the ruined castle was used as a supply depot by Jacobite forces. British warships bombarded the site before troops captured it and blew it up to prevent its further use by Jacobite supporters.
Eilean Donan remained in ruins until an extensive rebuilding campaign during the early 20th century created much of the castle seen by visitors today. The newly acquired archaeological collection now provides a clearer view of the medieval stronghold that existed centuries before that reconstruction.
Top Image: Dr Alice Blackwell with the gravoir. Copyright Duncan McGlynn.
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