What the heck is a lek?
Males great bustards perform spectacular courtship displays, gathering at a ‘lek’ or small display ground to try to impress the females.
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Early Saxon bronze toiletry set, consisting of a loop of bronze wire with ends twisted together, on this are an ear scoop, a probe and two further objects with their ends broken off. The probe is attached via a loop, suggesting it was attached later, the rest have flat, round heads with central perforation. From the pagan Saxon cemetery called ‘Black Patch’ at Blacknall Field, Pewsey, Wiltshire, excavated by Ken Annable and the Wiltshire Archaeological and Natural History Society, 1969-1976.
Toiletry sets were popular with both Saxon women and men. Men tended to prefer to have tweezers to pull out hair, whereas women preferred picks, which would be used for removing dirt from beneath nails or to take out food from between teeth.
Other elements of toiletry sets that this could have included are scrapers or brushes, neither of which we know for sure what they were used for. The ends of 2 of the elements of this particular Saxon toiletry set are broken, so we cannot be sure what exactly they were. We do know that one is an ear scoop which was used for removing ear wax.
Interestingly, these items of personal hygiene are often found in burials suggesting their importance to the owner.
View the Toiletry Set on Wiltshire Museums virtual collection.
Males great bustards perform spectacular courtship displays, gathering at a ‘lek’ or small display ground to try to impress the females.
The great bustard has a dignified slow walk but tends to run when disturbed, rather than fly.
The hen-bird on display at The Salisbury Museum was one of the last great bustards to be eaten in the town!