This week I have another genuine mystery object for you to have a go at identiftying, uncovered during an archaeological dig by Irish Archaeological Consultancy:
Any idea what it might be? I’d be interested to hear your thoughts!
Friday mystery object #421
Zygoma 
It is clearly the distal end of a mammalian humerus, It is large, has a deep olecranon fossa and no entepicondylar foramen and yet the shaft seems to slender and the distal end too shallow to be an ungulate. I’m going with ursid, and given its locality, I’d guess Ursus arctos.
If you’re going for bear, that is the beariest bear you could pick.
Large mammal humerus, given the spiral – the head looks more humerus than femur, and femurs are often straighter, no? Might even be human, given the size. But Paolo might not have put up a human bone for id. So maybe bear.
You’re right, I wouldn’t usually include human remains unless there was a very specific reason.
Ulnar notch at the distal end, makes it a humerus. Would be a small bear, but fits that profile.
Pooh?
Yuman thingy?
Numan.
Numan, as in New Man?
As in Not hUMAN 😉
So, is this occasion specific enough?
No.
I’m going to go with human humerus, humourously enough.
Oh well, not human, then.
Red deer? Very old?