Dear Dr Neumann: I am struggling with non-fossil sea urchins from
archaeology. References to urchins in archaeological literature are very
uncommon, with most of the work restricted to Eastern North America (Maine &
New Brunswick Gulf of Maine sites) Northwestern North America (Washington
state, British Columbia, Alaska) and the Pacific (Hawaii, north coastal
Australia).
The classic reference to fossil urchins is from the Bronze Age burial mound
outside Dunstable, Beds in a 1894 book by Smith, with a brilliant and
often-copied illustration of the flexed central burial surrounded by 200
fossil Echinocorys ovatus.
The fossil echinoids from European archaeology have recently been
catalogued:
Demnard F & Neraudeau D (2001): 'L'utilisation des oursins fossiles de la
prehistoire a l'epoque gallo-romaine', Bulletin de la Societe Prehistorique
Francaise Vol 98 (4), p693-715.
Didier Neraudeau is a palaeontologist like you, so you can speak the same
academic dialect. He is at the University of Rennes-1, where he can be
e-mailed.
I would very much appreciate references for any articles that you or anybody
else Zooarch have already (however short) about archaeological non-fossil
urchins, and any you come across. Many thanks, Greg Campbell.
----- Original Message -----
From: "Neumann, Christian"
> Hi everybody,
>
> I am studying the occurrence of fossil sea urchins from archaeological
sites
> (all periods, especially neolithic) all over europe. For me as a
> paleontologist access to archaelogical journals is somewhat limited.
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