My first, perhaps daft, reaction to the picture was that it is the distal end of a juvenile femur of some species that I had never seen - juvenile because the surfaces look as if epiphyses are missing. Whether mammal or large bird I do not venture an opinion.
>
>Subject: Re: [ZOOARCH] Mystery Bone
> From: "Richard H. Meadow" <[log in to unmask]>
> Date: Tue, 4 Sep 2007 16:36:39 -0400
> To: [log in to unmask]
>
>Looks like a bifid dorsal vertebral spine of Bos indicus or possibly,
>although less likely it seems to me in this case, Bos taurus. This piece
>is different than the specimen I looked at earlier and about which I was
>quoted below.
>Richard Meadow
>
>WORLEY, Fay Louise wrote:
>> Hi Krish and Adrienne,
>>
>> I think that it might be my mystery bone photos you remember
>> http://www.alexandriaarchive.org/icaz/icazForum/viewtopic.php?t=901 At
>> the time I thought that it was a pathology but Richard Meadow sent the
>> following comment "From what I can tell from the photos (but I would
>> rather see the thing in the flesh) the specimen could well be a bifid
>> dorsal spine of a thoracic vertebra. The bifurcation need not be
>> symmetrical. However, identification as Bos indicus is not
>> straightforward as heavily horned Bos taurus occasionally also has bifid
>> spines".
>>
>> Fay
>>
>> Fay Worley
>> Zooarchaeologist
>> English Heritage
>> Fort Cumberland
>> Fort Cumberland Road
>> Eastney
>> Portsmouth
>> PO4 9LD
>> tel: 02392 856789
>> fax: 02392 856701
>>
>> -----Original Message-----
>> From: Analysis of animal remains from archaeological sites
>> [mailto:[log in to unmask]] On Behalf Of Adrienne Powell
>> Sent: 04 September 2007 11:44
>> To: [log in to unmask]
>> Subject: Re: [ZOOARCH] Mystery Bone
>>
>> Hi Krish,
>>
>> I wonder if your mystery bone might be the bifid neural spine from a
>> humped cattle vertebra...
>> where does it come from?
>>
>> Adrienne
>>
>>
>>
>> Ms Adrienne Powell
>> Cardiff School of History & Archaeology
>> Cardiff University
>> Humanities Building
>> Colum Drive
>> Cardiff CF10 3EU
>>
>> (0)29 20879049
>>
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>>
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