Hello Jen
as I said, in Flemish high medieval (9th to 12th c.) castles, there are a number of finds like
this. They proved to be bones from the sperm whale. The taphonomic interpretation is not
straightforward: most finds show traces of bone working but, still, I think they could
represent consumption refuse. I don't have the original sources at hand, but historians have
proof that the meat of whales was eaten as a luxury item within noble feudal households in
Flanders. I think Barbara Tuchman also mentions this in her 'A Distant Mirror: The Calamitous
Fourteenth Century'. Perhaps the bones that were left over from those extravagant meals were
later used for artisanal purposes?
I also don't know whether the bones came from animals actually hunted at sea. They could also
be derived from stranded animals. It was a feudal right that all that was washed up on the
beach belonged to the lord.
A sperm whale tail vertebra has been published from the 9th to mid 10th c. fortification of the
counts of Flanders at Bruges:
Ervynck, A. (1991). 'De beer die woonde op de burg...': mens en dier in een vroegmiddeleeuwse
versterking. In: De Witte, H. (ed.), De Brugse Burg. Van grafelijke versterking tot moderne
stadskern (= Archeo-Brugge 2), 170-180. Brugge: VZW Archeo-Brugge & Vrienden van de Stedelijke
Archeologische Dienst.
A worked part of a sperm whale scapula has been found at the 11th - 12th c. castle of the
counts of Flanders at Ghent:
Van der Plaetsen, P. (1987). Walvissen... in het Gravensteen. Stadsarcheologie. Bodem en
Monument in Gent 11 (1), 24-25.
Chopped skull parts of sperm whale from the same site (not well dated but most probably
contemporaneous to the scapula fragment) have previously been misidentified as mammoth bones:
Van de Walle, R. (1982). Bewerkt been, gewei, hoorn en ivoor. Stadsarcheologie. Bodem en
Monument in Gent 6 (2), 2-36.
Finds from the high medieval noble sites of Veurne (Furnes) and Ename remain unpublished.
There are also numerous finds in The Netherlands, see, e.g.:
Groenman- van Waateringe, W. & van Wijngaarden- Bakker, L.H. (1990). Medieval archaeology and
environmental research in the Netherlands. In: Besteman, J.C, Bos, J.M. & Heidinga, H.A. (eds),
Medieval archaeology in the Netherlands. Studies presented to H.H. van Regteren Altena (Studies
in Prae- en protohistorie), 283-297. Assen-Maastricht.
I hope this helps, all the best,
Anton
Jen Kitch schreef:
> Hi all,
>
> I have come across a piece of whale? ( almost certain) bone from a coastal
> assemblage, Skegness to Ingoldmells in Lincolnshire. Apart from knowing it is from a
> sea mammal I have no real frame of reference to identify futher, I'm not even sure if it is
> worked.
>
> I would be grateful if anyone experienced in these mammals could take a look at the
> linked pictures below and tell me if anything else can be said about the bone. i.e.
> worked/not worked, potential element, or species?
>
> Thanks in advance
>
> Jen Kitch
>
> http://img137.imageshack.us/img137/276/whaledsc027302su.jpg
> http://img87.imageshack.us/img87/7451/whaledsc027287gq.jpg
> http://img137.imageshack.us/img137/6213/whaledsc027265yf.jpg
> http://img87.imageshack.us/img87/3275/whaledsc027241kt.jpg
--
Anton Ervynck
Vlaams Instituut voor het Onroerend Erfgoed
Flemish Heritage Institute
Phoenix-building, Koning Albert II-laan 19 box 5, B-1210 Brussel
02/553.18.30
0477/56.01.95
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