Toggle

A bone toggle was discovered in 1961 during a survey at an early medieval stronghold in Stargard (West Pomeranian Voivodeship). It was found in a layer associated with the defensive fortifications of the castle from the turn of the 12th and 13th centuries. The object was made from the metatarsal bone of an animal – most likely a pig. In the centre of the piece is a through hole drilled with the tip of a knife.Toggles of this sort were used in the early medieval period as a button to fasten clothing. At least two more interpretations of these objects are known in the specialist literature. The first defines toggles as a type of children's toy or musical instrument. A string was pulled through a hole in the bone, with the help of which it was put into a spinning motion, causing it to emit a characteristic buzzing sound. It is also believed that they may have served as ornaments or amulets of a magical nature.

Grzegorz Durdyń