Pifalls and other traps...why it's worth looking at museum artefacts again

Re-examination of old finds can lead to significant gains in understanding past practices. Some of the recent work undertaken by the National Museums of Scotland is showcased here. Recent work on the Loch Glashan codex satchel (p18) persuades us that, archaeologically speaking, silk purses can be made out of sows’ ears. Re-examining old finds is a major aspect of research in the National Museums of Scotland Archaeology Department, and in TA 56 some results of the current radiocarbon dating programmes were highlighted. Here, we look at two particularly interesting items we have dated: one, a probable pitfall trap of Late Neolithic date from Mye Plantation, south-west Scotland, and a deer treadtrap of Early Historic date from a bog in Aberdeenshire