MOROPUS Posted November 10, 2009 Share Posted November 10, 2009 I`ve been working on archaeological excavations in Europe, and that kind of demineralization (it says us that it have been there for a long time), the dispersion of the leg bone, ribs and head, tells us that we are perhaps we are looking at some quite old butchering site. Try to find cutting marks on the leg bone junctions, and try to find if there is some artifact near it...This would give us a time pattern. If the cuttings are irregular, they could be done with stone knifes. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Auspex Posted November 10, 2009 Share Posted November 10, 2009 ...we are perhaps we are looking at some quite old butchering site. Wow; now there's a thought! "There has been an alarming increase in the number of things I know nothing about." - Ashleigh Ellwood Brilliant “Try to learn something about everything and everything about something.” - Thomas Henry Huxley >Paleontology is an evolving science. >May your wonders never cease! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MOROPUS Posted November 10, 2009 Share Posted November 10, 2009 I mean an OLD archaeological butchering site (Indigenous?-Colonial?). Horses were re introduced in the states again in the sixteenth century; since then, many horses have been running around the plains. The thing is, that if the poor animal died of some natural illness or accident, scavengers move the carrion around, and scatter the remains in a determinated way (there are some studies of this, believed or not!). But here, the whole horse is concentrated in a small spot, and very big parts of the animal are quite near. A leg is totally apart from the rest of the body (a thing that any hunter will do, the best flesh is in it)... Just think about it! But this is still a theory! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Goober Posted November 11, 2009 Author Share Posted November 11, 2009 Glaciated remains in this area don't seem to have much mineralization at all, every bone I've found from lower gravel deposits are extremely brittle except for those found in silt deposits. The horse remains were resting on shale and covered over by approximately 5 feet of sandy silt and clay layers. What I can't seem to find anywhere on line is what distinguishing features identify the Pleistocene from a modern day horse. Is it the pattern in the teeth that is used to identify old vs modern or is that pointless? I found a small comparison photo of a Pleistocene and it looks nearly identical to what I found other than I haven't cleaned the shale from mine. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Goober Posted November 11, 2009 Author Share Posted November 11, 2009 Here's a larger photo file of the underside skull. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Xiphactinus Posted November 11, 2009 Share Posted November 11, 2009 (edited) Goober - I think the only way you will know for sure is carbon dating. $$$ Since it's not a Pleistocene-only species it's a toughie. If it was my find, I'd clean it up, label it as "Pleistocene-Holocene" and make sure that at least one bone never gets any preservative on it for later dating. I'd also get some of the soil associated with the fossil and put it in an airtight baggie for the same reason. Edited November 11, 2009 by Xiphactinus Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Goober Posted November 13, 2009 Author Share Posted November 13, 2009 Goober - I think the only way you will know for sure is carbon dating. $$$ Since it's not a Pleistocene-only species it's a toughie. If it was my find, I'd clean it up, label it as "Pleistocene-Holocene" and make sure that at least one bone never gets any preservative on it for later dating. I'd also get some of the soil associated with the fossil and put it in an airtight baggie for the same reason. That's good solid advice.... thanks for you input! I'll Tag & Bag it! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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