Findspot record TR 34 SW 1785 - Bronze Age cattle remains located at 70 Maison Dieu Road, Dover

Prehistoric cattle remains were recovered from within a layer of Tufa Gravels during an archaeological evaluation at 70 Maison Dieu Road, Dover. The remains include a mandible and a right metacarpal these are provisionally dated to the Bronze Age period as it was within soils of a similar nature to those which surrounded and infilled the Dover Bronze Age boat.

In detail: right metacarpal of adult Bos cf. taurus, damaged distal end Left mandible missing teeth of adult Bos cf. taurus, some damage to horizontal ramus. Morphologically, Bos (aurochs and cattle) and Bison are often extremely difficult to separate unless teeth or horn cores are present. Unfortunately, the teeth are missing from the mandible. Comparison needed to be undertaken with reference materials as there are small-bodied bison known from the last ice age. The conclusion is that the bones are most likely to be cattle because they are fully-grown but still noticeably smaller than the smallest (female) individuals of bison studied. Morphologically, there is not much in it, but metacarpals of Bos tend to have a more "shouldered" aspect towards the distal end, whereas bison taper gently. The metacarpal here is more shouldered. (1)

<1> Swale and Thames Archaeological Survey Company, 2011, An Archaeological Evaluation on land at the Former Royal Mail Sorting Office, 70 Maison Dieu Road, Dover, Kent (Unpublished document). SKE31846.