Dear Zooarchers,
a few weeks ago many of you joined in to an intense discussion about an unidentified bone you can still look at here:
You probably remember that at the end we couldn't quite agree on anything from the long list of suggestions. This is when dr. Mike Buckley from the Manchester Interdisciplinary Biocentre (UK) offered his help to sample the fragment for protein and try to give me an answer, which I gladly accepted.
I sent the bone to him by post and when it arrived, I got the results back extremely fast, within 24
hours!
It looks like our bone belongs to the Cervinae sub-family, so it is either red deer or fallow deer.
I will look into it more closely, but as far as I know Dama dama is pretty rare (if present at all?) in Transylvania at the end of the bronze age and beginning of the iron age, so Cervus elaphus is more likely in this case. As far as the body part's concerned, this probably leaves us with one of the vestigial metapodials.
I should also mention that the analysis was morphologically non-destructive, so I would recommend the work of Mike to anyone who needs it!
Thanks to all for offering
suggestions and thank you Mike, for clearing everything out.
This has
been an adventurous identification! And for a question that has been bugging me for so long, this really is the best Christmas gift/answer ever! :)
Happy Holidays to everyone and all the best!
Imola
Imola Kelemen
Muzeul Secuiesc al Ciucului
530132 Miercurea Ciuc, RO
Piata Cetatii Nr. 2.
Tel./Fax. +40 266 311 727
www.csikimuzeum.ro 
