Archaeologists from UCL are helping archivists at Jersey Heritage to carefully study, catalogue and store hundreds of pieces of Ice Age animal bone, that were discovered on the Channel Island more than 60 years ago.
The finds, which are part of Jersey’s historic Société Jersiaise collection, include a fragment of woolly mammoth bone and lots of pieces of horse, red deer, bison and bear bones.
They are remains of animals that would have been hunted by some of the last surviving Neanderthal groups in the region, and may have been left over from the Neanderthal people themselves.
The specimens were all discovered before 1960 at La Cotte de St Brelade along the southern coast of the island of Jersey, and are due to be part of a new programme of scientific analysis assisted by experts at the UCL Department of Archelogy and Archaeology South East. While later finds have been subject to detailed work before, these early finds from the ancient site have yet to be studied using modern scientific techniques.
Project co-lead, Dr Matt Pope (UCL Archaeology) said: "It’s very exciting to be involved in this really important process. This is one of the most important collections of Ice Age animal bone in the region and we are getting ready to unlock its secrets."
Olga Finch, Jersey Heritage’s Curator of Archaeology, said: "It’s great to have the expertise of the London team to undertake this curatorial work and provide a detailed catalogue which the public and researchers can access to learn more about this important story in the Island’s history."
On Monday, in conjunction with Jersey Heritage, the team held a special event for Jersey residents to visit the collection, meet the team and see some of the specimens they’re working on.
The team will be working on the collection through the end of the month.
- Olga Finch, Jersey Heritage Curator of Archaeology, and Letty Ingrey, UCL Archaeology South-East Ice Age specialist, with one of the mammoth teeth from La Cotte. (c) Jersey Heritage.
- University College London, Gower Street, London, WC1E 6BT (0) 20 7679 2000
