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It looks digested; I suspect that is making it look more unusual than it is. Nerissa Russell Associate Professor and Chair Department of Anthropology Cornell University Ithaca, NY 14853 USA 607-255-6790 On 2/21/12 12:43 PM, "[log in to unmask]" <[log in to unmask]> wrote: >Dear Zooarchers: I've got a real poser of a phalanx and would greatly >appreciate help in identifying it. The bone was excavated from a >2nd-century ditch at Roman Vindolanda in Northumbria, England. >Measurements are given on two of the views (posted at Bone Commons, see >link below). > >Before appealing to the List, we have extensively compared this bone and >are certain that it is not human, although it does fairly strongly >resemble a human toe-bone. Neither is it a bear, a big badger, or any type >of porpoise, dolphin, seal, or manatee. Neither is it a lion, a big lynx, >or a cheetah. It is bird-like in some ways -- particularly in the >configuration of the proximal end, with the shallow double facets and the >long extensor process, but it is not a swan, eagle, gyrfalcon, large owl, >or large vulture. > >Could it be a tortoise? Never mind that Britain has no native tortoises -- >perhaps the Romans imported one as a trophy or as "smoked leg of >tortoise." > >Here's the link to see the images -- many thanks for taking a look! > >http://alexandriaarchive.org/bonecommons/items/show/1830