At first glance, it is hard to imagine these small gold studs had anything to do with children. They were, after all, found near Stonehenge in the richly furnished grave of a Bronze Age adult.
A dagger handle from the burial was covered with thousands of these gold studs, each as fine as a human hair. In a world without magnifying glasses, excellent eyesight was needed to make and fix them to the handle. Recent research suggests that, because of their superb vision, children as young as 10 may have performed this task. This work came at a price – lasting damage to their sight.
