Viking Ear Pick / Cleaner

It was well noted by contemporary historians that, far from being dirt encrusted barbarians with matted hair, the Vikings were in fact fastidiously clean people (or at least, by the standards of the day). It is therefore no surprise that excavations on Norse settlements and tombs often unearth items for personal grooming such as combs, tweezers and ear picks (also known as ear scoops and ear spoons). In the absence of that miracle of the modern age known as the cotton bud, the Norse (and associated peoples of that era) would use these tiny ear spoons.

Made of brass, the overall length is 6.9cm, the ring section is half a centimetre wide and the bowl is 4mm x 3mm. The width of the handle is 1.2cm at its widest point.