Hello Greg,
There was a remarkable study of sea urchins in about 1877 by Dall.
Unfortunately I do not have the reference, but it is quoted in Waselkov 1987.
The latter was published in "Advances in archaeological method and theory" vol.
10.
I hope this helps.
Danny
Dr. Daniella Bar-Yosef
Zinman Institute of Archaeology
University of Haifa
Haifa 31905
Israel
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ˆø—p’† Greg Campbell <[log in to unmask]>:
> Dear Dr Wigen: I personally am interested in any references with a method of
> recovery included elsewhere in the same report, from anywhere in the world.
> I have a vague memeory of fragmentary urchins from a Phoenecian colony in
> Spain (Cadiz, perhaps?) which I would like help in tracking down. There are
> also some whispers of urchins in Jomon mounds, so help from researchers
> working in or around Japanese material would also be great.
>
> Species/wieghts reports are fine for now, and likely to be all there is in
> most cases. Since urchin tests are not solid but made up of plates, they
> fragment into pieces typically less than 6mm (1/4 inch). Since there has
> been little chance of identifying such fragments reliably, or using them to
> reconstruct urchin sizes, until now, weight and species data would be all
> that could be in the literature. Species i.d. may be questionable, since it
> may be based on direct analogy with modern species in the vicinity, and it is
> often impossible to get to species within a genus; genera and species within
> genera have different sea temperature tolerances, so the ranges of species
> will not be the same through a given interglacial stage. This is the case in
> the North Atlantic.
>
> I am especially interested in the Pacific northwest; there is a sequence of
> different dominant urchins as one proceeds southwards from Alaska to warmer
> waters, but these overlap in southern BC and Washington state and are mostly
> species in a single genus, Stronglyocentrotus. My 'next big thing' is to
> refine my method to get to species within this genus, so fine-sieved material
> from along this coast (and help from a friendly local marine biologist) would
> be hugely helpful.
>
> The eminent professor of sea urchinology would probably prefer a more general
> summary text, and similar ethnography. But for me, any info will be
> gratefully received.
> ----- Original Message -----
> From: Rebecca Wigen
> To: Greg Campbell ; [log in to unmask]
> Sent: Monday, July 25, 2005 4:27 PM
> Subject: Re: [ZOOARCH] sea urchin references
>
>
> Hi Greg
> Are you interested in NW coast information? There is ethnographic info
> as well as some archaeological information. The archaeological information
> is pretty much just weight and species data.
> Becky Wigen
> Senior Lab Instructor,
> Dept. of Anthropology,
> University of Victoria
> Victoria, BC Canada
> ----- Original Message -----
> From: Greg Campbell
> To: [log in to unmask]
> Sent: Monday, July 25, 2005 7:40 AM
> Subject: [ZOOARCH] sea urchin references
>
>
> Dear Zooarchers: A couple of years ago I posted a request for some info
> on sea urchin remains in archaeology, having been landed with a sackful by an
> Oxford professor from his Breton site who expected me to know all about them
> because they were shells... Many of you were kind enough to offer suggestions
> and lines of inquiry. The problem of minimum numbers of individuals, size
> range collected, species identification, and point on the shore exploited
> were all solved even though the tests were all very fragmentary. Results
> coming out soon. Must sieve to at least 2mm to get results that will allow
> size reconstruction and hence shore position!
>
> Now one of the great men of sea urchin studies has asked for info about
> sea urchins used for food (tests and not just loose spines), and I would
> dearly appreciate any published references or forthcoming results for my own
> uses. Prehistoric especially, but I seem to remember some remains from dark
> age Scottish Isles.
>
> Many thanks.
> Greg Campbell
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