UPDATE

The main collections are now registered with the NZRR National Zooarchaeological Reference Resource http://archaeologydataservice.ac.uk/ archives/view/nzrr_he_2017 The database is searchable and downloadable.

Further info

The home database contains further details of the specimens including more measurements, weights, pathology, donor etc. please contact if interested in details of a particular specimen. Note that 'complete' does not imply undamaged and the odd toe or tracheal ring might also sometimes be missing.

Reference Collections

Disarticulated skeletons

These are modern specimens used for comparative identification of archaeological remains. The collection now totals well over 3,000 individual skeletons, mostly complete, and currently stands at 700+ different species of fish, 7 amphibian, 15 reptile, 200+ bird, and 100+ of mammals. The majority of the skeletons are of species found in and around Europe, North Africa and the Near East. The collection includes a wide variety of domestic breeds.

Specimen acquisition

Sources vary from roadside casualties picked up by friends and colleagues to specimens donated by the ITE, RSPCA, WWT, wildlife reserves and similar bodies. Spares are sometimes available for research and specimen exchanges and donations are welcome. Where only a few specimens exist in the collection, these will not be available for exchange or loan but may be consulted on site by arrangement (for example to confirm identification of archaeological material and for metrical studies). It should be noted that these specimens are intended for research and are NOT for commercial sale. Apart from food and pest species no specimen has been intentionally killed for the collections. Indiscriminate (and usually illegal) killing has the potential for upsetting ecological balance and reducing the extraordinary and marvellous diversity we enjoy, to the detriment of all our futures, and such behaviour is not condoned.