Dear colleagues,
I am currently analysing the faunal remains from a Cistercian monastery in Cyprus. The use of the (female) monastery lasted from the 13th to the 16th c. AD and it also functioned as a hospital for lepers. Within the remains I have identified a handful of fish bones, which I tried to identify to body part and family (see below) with the help of colleagues through photos. Amongst them there is certainly a species of catfish and I remember reading that it was common to keep catfish in medieval monasteries. What species would that be (e.g. Clarias gariepinus)? And were there other fish species reared by monks/nuns? I also think there might be marine fish as well as I suspect presence of a Sparid amongst the remains. Unfortunately, this excavation was a rescue one and no sieving took place. That is why fish bones are so few and large.
For you fish experts that have time to kill or you cannot resist a challenge, here are the photos of these specimens, organised in albums for each specimen (and my guesses in parentheses):
-Fish specimen 1 (Articular of Clariidae? Species?)
https://www.flickr.com/photos/59255808@N07/sets/72157648359070169/
-Fish specimen 2 (Sparidae dentary? Species?)
https://www.flickr.com/photos/59255808@N07/sets/72157648367628808/
-Fish specimen 3 (Vertebra. Species?)
https://www.flickr.com/photos/59255808@N07/sets/72157648712317346/
-Fish specimen 4 (The previously sent Clariidae neurocranium. Species)
https://www.flickr.com/photos/59255808@N07/sets/72157648359206919/
-Fish specimen 5 (Serrated spine. Species?)
https://www.flickr.com/photos/59255808@N07/sets/72157648766453832/
-Fish specimen 6 (Quadrate. Species?)
https://www.flickr.com/photos/59255808@N07/sets/72157648367649708/
-Fish specimen 7 (Dentary. Species?)
https://www.flickr.com/photos/59255808@N07/sets/72157648712348616/
-Fish specimen 8 (sorry, it is the same as specimen 1: i.e. articular of clariidae?)
https://www.flickr.com/photos/59255808@N07/sets/72157648763977041/
-Fish specimen 9 (no idea)
https://www.flickr.com/photos/59255808@N07/sets/72157646444395824/
-Fish specimen 10 (no idea)
https://www.flickr.com/photos/59255808@N07/sets/72157646444398384/
Thank you very much!
Angelos
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