Bone Tool Functionality in the Bronze Age Copper Mines of Great Orme (UK): preliminary results

This pilot study examines 150 bone tool samples from the Bronze Age copper mines at Great Orme, Wales, one of Europe’s most extensive prehistoric mining complexes. Through combined morphological, technological, and use-wear analyses – including scanning electron microscopy – the research investigates the manufacture and functional roles of bone implements in mining and possibly ore-processing. The assemblage includes wedges made from tubular bones, scoops fashioned from scapulae and pelvic bones, and rib tools, reflecting targeted selection of bone materials suited to specific tasks. Use-wear traces suggest these tools were used for splitting soft copper-bearing rock, scraping ore, and raking finely ground ore fractions. Comparative insights with contemporaneous Eurasian mining sites reveal both shared traditions and local adaptations. Despite the limited sample size, the study highlights the important contribution of organic tools in Bronze Age mining technologies and provides a foundation for further, more extensive research.