Alison,
From the photo, my initial impression is that there is some sort of new bone
formation present on the original surface of the vertebra. This has an
almost woven or porous appearance, the margins of this formation being hard
to determine. I don't think it is taphonomic because all the bone appears to
look the same, rather than as if it has been altered in any way.
One possibility is some sort of infection. Given the location, you may wish
to consider respiratory infections (e.g. tuberculosis) as a possibility.
If that is the case, useful references might be:
Baker, J, and Brothwell, D. 1980. Animal Diseases in Archaeology. London:
Academic Press.
Lignereux, Y and Peters, J. 1999. Elements for the retrospective diagnosis
of tuberculosis on animal bones from archaeological sites, pp 339-348. In
Pálfi, G, Dutour, O, Deák, J, and Hutás, I (eds.). Tuberculosis: Past and
Present. Szeged: Golden Book and Tuberculosis Foundation.
Mays, S. 2005. Tuberculosis as a zoonotic disease in antiquity, pp 125-134.
In Davies, J., Fabis, M., Mainland, I., Richards, M. and Thomas, R. (eds.).
Diet and Health in Past Animal Populations: Current Research and Future
Directions. Oxford: Oxbow Books.
Roberts, C., and Buikstra, J. 2003. The Bioarchaeology of Tuberculosis.
Gainesville: University Press of Florida.
I hope that helps.
All the best,
Stephanie Vann
School of Archaeology and Ancient History
University of Leicester
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