Tom's Hands

I took this photograph in 2001 whilst working on the archaeological illustration of a huge assemblage of artefacts excavated in South County Dublin. After drawing this beautifully worked Neolithic flint arrowhead I asked one of the archeologists to hold it in his hands for me. Tom, was over 70 at the time and had worked hard all his life. I imagined that the the person who crafted this seemingly fragile stone weapon thousands of years ago, may have had similar hands. I love the juxtaposition of the delicate artefact, which is capable of inflicting fatal harm when used correctly, with Tom's large and weathered hands.

18th Century Glass Phial, Hammond Lane Excavations, Dublin City.

It's just incredible that this delicate hand blown glass phial survived deep in the ground under our feet, compressed under almost 300 years of habitation right in the center of Dublin city. It may have contained some medicine of some kind or another. Sealed with a tiny cork, it was probably kept and re-used many times, as recycling occurred in the Post-Medieval world too!

Bottle Selection, Hammond Lane Excavations, Dublin City.

These beautiful bottles were excavated on Hammond Lane in Dublin. After a time in the ground a chemical reaction occurs and the glass changes, developing this wonderful effervescent quality. The larger bottles would probably have been imported containing wine from France. The smaller phial, would've held something more medicinal perhaps. They were all hand blown and date from the 18th Century.