A fourth-century pin-maker's workshop | Saint-Denis, une ville au Moyen Âge

Bone pins from the last third of the 4^th century.

© UASD / J. Mangin.

Waste from this workshop were found in a filled-in ditch from the last third of the fourth century CE. These include the ends of cow metapodes discarded after the central portion of bone was extracted, sawn-off sticks, rough outlines and unfinished pins.

Some pinheads are spherical, pointed or pineapple-shaped, but most of them display the bust of a woman, whose head is sketchily represented by a series of engraved lines.

These hairpins were used to create a hairstyle that was popular at one time in Gallo-Roman society. The hair was twisted at the back of the neck, and then braided up to the top of the head, where it ended in a roll.