A Cat Skull from Jewel Tower, Abingdon Street, Westminster
Author(s): Fay Worley
A skull from an adult domestic cat, probably female, is reported. Raw osteometric data was recorded and is compared to reference specimens in the Historic England Zooarchaeology Reference Collection and published data from elsewhere. The date and provenance of the skull are unknown, beyond that it is from Jewel Tower, Westminster. It is probably related to 1950s excavations at the site and therefore may be 17th century, the date of the majority of finds. The skull is green-coloured; pXRF analysis is used to suggest that the pigment may be a copper alloy solution derived from brass. The majority of the skull is green, however the pigmentation does not cover the entire surface within the cranial cavity. The discolouration may reflect the burial or storage environment, or might have been intentionally applied.
- Report Number:
- 8/2016
- Series:
- Research Report
- Pages:
- 14
- Keywords:
- Animal Bone Copper Alloy Environmental Studies Zooarchaeology
