Further to Terry's suggestion that the sea urchin spines may be residual I
have vague memories from living in Saudi Arabia and often finding many well
preserved sea shells in the desert, including sea urchins and their spines.
These were sometimes at great distances from the present Red Sea coast.
Mark
-----Original Message-----
From: tpoc1 <[log in to unmask]>
To: Ruby Ceron-Carrasco <[log in to unmask]>
Cc: [log in to unmask] <[log in to unmask]>
Date: 19 May 2000 21:18
Subject: Re: Marine question
>Hi Ruby - two thoughts on sea urchins:
>
>First, are you absolutely certain that the sea urchin spine is not
>residual? Echnoid spines are a common fossil in many sedimentary
>sequences. Anyone working on sites on the Chalk in the UK finds one or
>two in their sieved samples sooner or later.
>
>Second, I think sea urchins of the genus Psammechinus are eaten, or have
>until recently been eaten, in parts of the Mediterranean basin. That
>should prompt a flood of recipes!
>
>Terry O'Connor
>
>
>Ruby Ceron-Carrasco wrote:
>>
>> Dear all at zooarch,
>>
>> Has anybody working in The Levant found any remains of sea urchin in
>> their zooarchaeological assemblages?. I have one spine from a
>> Jordanian site.
>>
>> Does anyone know of sea urchin as food in other areas past and
>> present?
>>
>> Many thanks,
>> Ruby
>> Ruby Ceron-Carrasco (MA, FSAS)
>> Postgraduate Research
>> Department of Archaeology
>> The University of Edinburgh
>> Old High School,
>> Infirmary Street
>> EH1 1LT
>> tel. 0131-650 2373
>
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