For You Lot Data - A Surfeit Of Lampreys: Commencement Show Of Stomach-Turning Medieval Delicacy Constitute Inward London

Keratin 'teeth' belonging to the gruesome lamprey fish accept been identified inwards London's archaeological tape for the outset time. The exceptionally rare regain was made yesteryear Alan Pipe Senior Archaeozoologist at MOLA (Museum of London Archaeology), equally he examined environmental samples from excavations close Mansion House station inwards London.

Lamprey keratin ‘teeth’ (probably river lamprey) recovered during excavations near
Mansion House station inwards London [Credit: Museum of London Archaeology]

Lampreys are an extremely primitive lineage of eel-like fish which at 360 1000000 years old, pre-date the dinosaurs. Some species of lamprey are parasitic, feeding on other fish. It may hold out difficult to stomach, simply lampreys were a pop delicacy amid the nobility inwards medieval Great Britain (and maintain to hold out eaten inwards Espana as well as Finland).

The floor goes that Henry I had such a hankering for this scary snack that his physician deemed the travail of his untimely decease "a surfeit of lampreys" – though this may hold out a fanciful embellishment on the business office of Henry of Huntingdon, his chronicler. Even recently, they accept been pop alongside the royals: a lamprey pie was made for the coronation of Queen Elizabeth II inwards 1953.

As lampreys accept no bones or jaws, they larn out picayune describe inwards the archaeological record. They are solely known from 2 other sites inwards the UK: Coppergate inwards York as well as Dundrennan Abbey inwards Scotland. Even their 'teeth' are unlikely to hold out preserved, since they are made of keratin (the same equally pilus as well as nails), which is much softer than enamel or dentine, making this regain all the to a greater extent than remarkable.

Mouth of a river lamprey [Credit: Roger Sweeting (2016),
Freshwater Biological Association]

MOLA Senior Archaeozoologist Alan Pipe said: "Almost everything nosotros know nearly the popularity of lampreys inwards medieval England comes from historical accounts. It is incredibly exciting, subsequently 33 years of studying fauna remains, to in conclusion position traces of the elusive lamprey at the pump of the historic City of London, preserved inwards the water-logged Blue Planet close the Thames."

It remains to hold out seen what conclusions tin flaming hold out drawn from the site equally a whole (archaeological remains are beingness analysed yesteryear our specialists), simply the presence of the coveted lamprey could hold out an early on indicator of the high condition of its medieval occupants.

Once fairly common, the iii species of lamprey industrial plant life inwards the British Isles (brook, river as well as sea: 2 of which feed parasitically on other fish) are straightaway protected species, as well as they are making a comeback thank y'all to efforts to trim back river pollution.

Author: Emily​ Wilkes | Source: Museum of London Archaeology [October 29, 2018]


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