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Dear all, I was also surprised by how thin the shell appeared to be – although I did not think about preservation – possibly because the exterior appeared to be so glossy. I haven’t seen any examples of shells in the condition which Greg suggests, and the only thing which seems to me to count against this idea is that the shell fragment has sufficient integrity to retain the curved shape, something I wouldn’t expect of nacre! For what it’s worth, to me the fragment looks more like a “whelk” than anything else, taking the point to be the remains of the siphon, but the glossy surface is not typical for species found in British waters. With the wear which Greg suggests, and keeping to British species it could just possibly be Colus islandicus, but I’m looking at a picture*, not a specimen. Best wishes Liz * P533 in Hayward & Ryland ed (1995) Handbook of the marine Fauna of North-West Europe. OUP From: Analysis of animal remains from archaeological sites [mailto:[log in to unmask]] On Behalf Of Julia Cussans Sent: 08 July 2015 13:36 To: [log in to unmask] Subject: Re: [ZOOARCH] shell Ident Dear Greg, Many thanks for your response. Both the bone and the cowrie and in a pretty poor state; the bones from this grave were noted as the least well preserved of all the graves, so yes preservation may well be an issue. Aside from its fragmentary state I had thought that this piece of shell was relatively well preserved, but perhaps that is not the case. The cowrie was only represented by its inner and outer lips and these are chalky and pitted in appearance and the skeleton was identified as belonging to a child of 10-12yrs, which I guess may have contributed to its poor preservation. I may have to settle for no id. Cheers, Julia On 08/07/2015 12:53, GREG CAMPBELL wrote: Dear Julia: How well-preserved is the human bone and the cowrie in this grave? I suspect the poor thing in the photos is the last surviving traces of the inner nacreous lining of a shell which has lost the outer surface (and all the useful bits for identifying it) due to post-depositional dissolution in low-pH soil. Greg Campbell The Naive Chemist Apologies for cross posting Dear All, Is there anyone who can help me with the identification of this gastropod fragment? Please feel free to forward this message on to anyone who may be able to help. It originates from an Anglo-Saxon grave in Suffolk, England in which a cowrie (Cypraea cf. pantherina) shell was also found and hence is not necessarily British in origin. I have had a couple of ideas about what it may be but only based on photographs from books and internet id guides, given the nature of the context I would like to be a little more certain of my identification. https://www.dropbox.com/sh/qj4sidesobokx0e/AABe37Eh6r38AUuzO4FE4u6wa?dl=0 Many thanks in advance. Julia -- Dr Julia E. M. Cussans Archaeozoologist Error! Filename not specified. Error! Filename not specified.<http://www.facebook.com/ArchaeologicalSolutions> Error! Filename not specified.<http://twitter.com/ArchaeologicalS> Error! Filename not specified.<http://www.archaeologicalsolutions.co.uk/> Bury St Edmunds: 6 Brunel Business Court, Eastern Way, Bury St Edmunds, Suffolk, IP32 7AJ. 01284 765 210 Shefford: PI House, r/o 23 Clifton Road, Shefford, Bedfordshire, SG17 5AF. 01462 850 483 Ware: Sucklings Yard, Church Street, Ware, Hertfordshire, SG12 9EN. Mon, Weds & Thurs: 01920 469 090 -- Dr Julia E. M. Cussans Archaeozoologist [cid:part9.05030803.05030706@ascontracts.co.uk] [cid:part10.00010009.05080305@ascontracts.co.uk]<http://www.facebook.com/ArchaeologicalSolutions>[cid:part12.09060507.00070509@ascontracts.co.uk]<http://twitter.com/ArchaeologicalS>[cid:part14.05080505.07090409@ascontracts.co.uk]<http://www.archaeologicalsolutions.co.uk> Bury St Edmunds: 6 Brunel Business Court, Eastern Way, Bury St Edmunds, Suffolk, IP32 7AJ. 01284 765 210 Shefford: PI House, r/o 23 Clifton Road, Shefford, Bedfordshire, SG17 5AF. 01462 850 483 Ware: Sucklings Yard, Church Street, Ware, Hertfordshire, SG12 9EN. Mon, Weds & Thurs: 01920 469 090 [cid:part16.07070002.07050903@ascontracts.co.uk] Please consider the environment before printing this e-mail The information contained in this e-mail message and any attachments is confidential information intended only for the use of individuals or entities named above. If the reader of this message is not the intended recipient you are hereby notified that any dissemination, distribution or copying of this communication is strictly prohibited. If you have received this communication in error, please notify us immediately by e-mail at the originating address. ________________________________ [Image removed by sender. Avast logo]<https://www.avast.com/antivirus> This email has been checked for viruses by Avast antivirus software. www.avast.com<https://www.avast.com/antivirus>