Dear fellow Zooarchaeologists,
Below is a link to several photos of a bone fragment excavated from the Chalcolithic site in Madrid called "Camino de las Yeseras." We have been unable to identify this bone fragment using the collection of the Laboratorio de Arqueozoología at the Universidad Autónoma de Madrid.
We compared the fragment to bones of mammals, birds, as well as reptiles and have thus far been unsuccessful in finding a match. The fragment appears to be symmetrical which leads us to believe it may be a part of the axial skeleton; however, perhaps it is part of the appendicular skeleton. Additionally, at first we thought it may be a bird bone because of the inner structure (see photos), but after comparing it with many bird skeletons and not finding any similar morphology, we remain unsure about that idea. Because we do not know what the skeletal element is, I have arbitrarily indicated the different sides of the fragment to orient the photos.
http://zooarchaeology.ning.com/photo/albums/frag-from-a121-elem01-ue03
If anyone has a clue as to what particular skeletal element this could be and to which species it may belong, that would be extremely helpful.
Many thanks,
Rachel Applefield
Universidad Autónoma de Madrid
|