Wristguard

A rectangular plate of bone or stone, perforated on the ends and strapped to the forearm of an archer to prevent injury when the bowstring recoils. It is sometimes difficult to distinguish a wristguard from a whetstone. They occur commonly in Beaker contexts in Europe.

Alternatively called a bracer, a wristguard is a rectangular stone or bone plaque, perforated at both ends (usually with single or double holes, but an exceptional example from Barnack in Cambridgeshire, eastern England, has nine holes at each end, each with a gold cap). It is thought that it was attached to the wrist of the archer as protection against the recoil of the bow. They occur commonly in Beaker contexts in Europe.