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Like most jobs work is often 'ordinary' but 5 star projects do crop up!
Henry VIII's famous ship sank in 1545 and was raised in 1982, it can be seen undergoing conservation at Portsmouth. Enormous amounts of research are still ongoing behind the scenes. Latest News! There is a new volume about life on board incorporating masses of evidence from the actual finds and from documents. Amongst other things there is a chapter by Coy, Hamilton-Dyer & Oxley on the meat and fish and a discussion of vitalling - the stores included salt cod, and pork and beef in casks. A sample of the cod bones has just been submitted for isotope analysis as part of a major international project researching the origins of the seafish trade in Northern Europe.
At Quseir al Qadim on the Red Sea coast the newly re-identified Roman port of Myos Hormos was excavated by an international team run from Southampton University. The preservation of the Islamic and Roman remains is amazing - paper, coloured cloth, baskets, fish skin and even the fur of the animals. Publication is imminent
Prior to the Quseir project, several members of the team were involved in excavation of the extraordinary Roman quarry complexes of Mons Claudianus and Mons Porphyrites. These projects are already in print. For a selected photo gallery click here.
Archaeological excavation at this city, the heart of old Russia, started in 1929. The peaty deposits, often many metres thick, preserve most finds in almost pristine condition. The numerous letters written on birch bark are considered to be some of the most important archaeological finds in Russia. Collaboration between the Russian institutions and Bournemouth University has included a project to train a local archaeozoologist, and the ongoing production of many groundbreaking publications. For a selected gallery click here
A small project but one that reached the national papers. Excavations at the site of the original Ashmolean revealed a pit full of human, dog and other animal skeletons, along with alchemy crucibles and other early laboratory equipment. Of great interest to archaeozoologists are the unique finds of racoon and manatee. The museum included these in an exhibition when the building was opened and a small display can now be seen in the lower gallery. A scientific publication is planned, in the meantime a summary of the finds can be found in the museum newsletter (issue 11).
More large scale excavations in Southampton by the City Unit and by Wessex. Previous sites have revealed one of the largest Saxon towns in Europe and a wealthy Medieval port.
This Wessex project is available online - including all the specialist reports as pdf files. The animal bone report deals mainly with a 17th century dump of processed horse carcasses.
SH-D ArchaeoZoology March 2008
