Equus skeleton discovered and yet again it attracts a magnet.

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I discovered this half buried mineralised carcass today on the banks of the old river Tees in Middlesbrough Cleveland North East England. But only had a poor phone camera so the images aren't great, the animal seems to have died were it is now, I aim to excavate it tomorrow, and will report my findings. 

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I am now in the process of cleaning and preserving the skull and mandible.

The pics below show the piece after a basic clean, this Equus piece shows no signs of use by man either for transport or work.

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I have tested for magnetic content and again have found this skull and mandible like a lot of other mineralised bones excavated in the south west of Cleveland attract a magnet, as ive stated before I believe this is because the animals absorbed some form of Magnetite, either when alive or during burial.

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Note the round magnet attached to the bone outlined in red.

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Magnetic Equus bones

  1 - The first 3 images show two none rare earth magnets attached to an Equus radius recently found in Stainsby beck in the south west area of Cleveland North East England.

  2 - This Radius has one of the strongest magnetic attractions, of the many magnetic bones and wood Ive found in this area, usually the wood or bone will only hold a rare earth magnet, not weak ones like this.

  3 - This bone is well mineralised and as with the wood and bone Ive previously reported to have a magnetic attraction. I  believe the bone has absorbed some form of Magnetite, either after burial or possibly even while the animal lived.

  4 - This image shows a much stronger rare earth magnet attached to the same radius.

  5 - The next images show another Equus radius from another beck valley area in this area with a rare earth magnet attached, this bone would not take a none rare earth magnet.

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Septarean nodule from the Stainton gravel beds

  1- The three images show a split and polished Septarian nodule from the Stainton gravel beds.

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Unknown from the Stainton gravel beds

 

 

 

Sharpening Stone

 

 

 

 

 

 

Mesolithic carved and used mineralised bone from Stainton beck

 1 - This carved and used mineralised bone was found by myself in the very spot i found the first carved artefact six years ago.

 2 - It is easy to see the bone has been used by Humans as some sort of tool, the wear marks do not follow on around the bone, so this rules out some sort of peg used with twine.

 3 - The Artifact was found just down stream from a recent collaps of the Mesolithic Stainton gravel beds dated as being 12 - 16, 000ybp in age.

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 5 - The bottom fork like tine has been worn down and re carved at some point.

 6 - 7  Image six - seven show the first carved artefact, I found in the same location 6 years ago.

 

HISTORY OF A BECK: Mesolithic tools and carved bones from the ...

HISTORY OF A BECK: Storregga slides Stunami theory 

Prehistoric Bovine humerus excavated from deep into the lake deposits at Stainsby beck Thornaby on Tees.

 1- The area to the right of the ruler, and above shows the area of further excavation, that exposed the Iron age Bovine Humerus shown below.

 2 - This image although poor shows the proximal end of the Humerus before excavation from the lake bed deposits.

 3 - Note how far into the beck bank and the height of the excavation in relation to the normal beck level.

                                                                                     

 4 - This is the Humerus washed and dried with only the loose concretions removed.

 5 - Note the preservation something I have tried to explain to many a deaf professional ear, over the last 5 years or more only to be told its just 19th century midden preserved by its watery domain, and I quote a certain professional with these words, I hope she remembers, and now understands that a four hour inspection of a large selection of well preserved Mesolithic and Iron age mammal bones, and carved bone, and stone tools, is so! not enough to send a report back to the finder  !

 6 - I have decided to leave the grey concretions attached, as this may help in further investigations into this ancient site, Tees Archaeology are busy at the moment, up on the moors of our neighbour North Yorkshire, the link below shows work in North Yorkshire by Tees  Archaeology. 

 7 - Note as with all but one bone excavated there are no signs of butchery, so I am starting to believe this was some kind of ritual site.

 8 -  This link shows the funded work to the south. - North East Yorkshire Mesolithic Project - Tees Archaeology 

The Geology of the south west area of Cleveland ( Update )

 The link below shows what I now know to be the Alluvium covered area of south west Cleveland, not the documented boulder clay, the fossil rich Stainton gravel beds are to be found under all areas excavated.

Alluvium covered Stainton gravel beds of South West Cleveland

 HISTORY OF A BECK: Storregga slides Stunami theory

Mesolithic Horse metatarsal excavated from the Stainton gravel beds

 1- This Horse metatarsal was recently excavated from the same section of previously undisturbed gravel bed at Stainton.

                                           

2 - The black flint scraper was excavated from the bed just to the right of the bottom of the spade, The metatarsal was excavated from slightly further in to the gravel bed. The gravel beds have been dated between 12 to 16,000 ybp this would make these finds almost certainly Mesolithic.

 

 3 - Excavated worked flint

 

 4 - Note the gloss like shine almost all of the bone samples I have excavated from the gravel beds have this shine, nothing has been applied i.e. polish, the bone has been washed dried and rubbed with a cloth nothing more. 

HISTORY OF A BECK: The Stainton gravel beds

 

                                                                                    

Equus skull piece from Stainsby beck Thornaby on Tees Cleveland .

 1 Note the top of the eye socket is not fully formed.

  This horse skull piece is from the lake bed deposits at Stainsby beck.

Many mammals have a small supra-orbital foramen just above the eye socket which communicates from the outside surface of the skull above the orbit to the interior of the orbital cavity.  Sometimes this foramen fails to fully form, and is open to the edge of the orbital rim, as in your horse.

The explanation above is from Richard White a Palaeontologist from Tucson in the United States, a trusted friend and advisor.

International Wildlife Museum - Tucson