In the Frisian terp area, multiple finds have been found that are thought to have been used as agricultural tools. One such category of finds are pieces of antler comprising two tines. These implements are thought to have been used as hoes to work the soil or as pitchforks. According to Roes, the Fries Museum has more than thirty of these antler pieces. The collections of the Rijksmuseum van Oudheden has three, all hailing from Friesland, and the Groninger Museum has one. Finds of these implements seem to be lacking in the strandwall area of former West-Frisia, suggesting that the antler tools might have been commonly used in the terpen area only.
Special thanks to the Zodenhuis in Firdgum for allowing us to use their photo as backdrop. For our reconstruction, it seemed appropriate to have a servus (see 'Unfree in early medieval Frisia’) do the land work.
Sources and further reading:
- Roes, A., Bone and antler objects from the Frisian terp-mounds (Haarlem 1963) 48-49, plaat LX.
Some of the archeological finds from collections:
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