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Bodkin: E.9.1926

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Current Location: Exhibition: Exhibition: Made in Ancient Egypt, 3 October 2025 – 12 April 2026 (Mellon Gallery)

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Description

A thin piece of copper alloy (with a square profile). Both ends of the object taper to a point that is rounded. The object curves slightly creating a bend in its overall shape. Bodkins were used for [..]

Examples of bodkins from ancient Egypt appear to have mostly been made from ivory, bone, and bronze, and are typically straight.
It is not clear whether this curve was created intentionally as there are several undulations/bends in the material at various points along the surface. Despite this, an example of a curved bronze bodkin can be found at the British Museum (EA57986).

Bodkin

Legal notes

Given by the British School of Archaeology in Egypt, 1926

Measurements and weight

Height: 0.109 m
Width: 0.005 m

Acquisition and important dates

Method of acquisition: Given (1926) by British School of Archaeology in Egypt

Project

  • Egypt

Materials used in production

Copper

Related exhibitions

Identification numbers

Accession number: E.9.1926
Primary reference Number: 52376
Oldadmincategory: MW

Audit data

Created: Saturday 6 August 2011 Updated: Thursday 25 September 2025

Associated departments & institutions

Owner or interested party: The Fitzwilliam Museum
Associated department: Antiquities

Citation for print

This record can be cited in the Harvard Bibliographic style using the text below:

The Fitzwilliam Museum (2025) "Bodkin" Web page available at: https://collection.beta.fitz.ms/id/object/52376 Accessed: 2025-12-05 11:11:41

Citation for Wikipedia

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{{cite web|url=https://collection.beta.fitz.ms/id/object/52376 |title=Bodkin |author=The Fitzwilliam Museum|accessdate=2025-12-05 11:11:41|publisher=The University of Cambridge}}

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https://collection.beta.fitz.ms/api/v1/objects/object-52376

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        <figcaption class="figure-caption text-info">Bodkin</figcaption>
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