'ere 'ere

As promised, this week there will be bones... although they are admittedly quite small bones, in fact they are the three smallest bones in the human body. The bones that I am talking about are known as the malleus (hammer), incus (anvil) and the stapes (stirrup). 

At the Eastbourne Ancestors Project ear bones have been the cause of me spending many an hour staring intensively at a sieve full of mud and gravel whilst picking through it with a pair of tweezers just hoping that today would be the day that it would not all be in vain and I would find one. 

BUT!!!

On the 17th September I not only found one ear bone but a whole ears worth, plus one extra. And just to prove it here's the picture.

From top left clockwise: Stapes (stirrup), Incus (Anvil), Incus (Anvil) and Malleus (Hammer)

Like buses, you wait for ages to find one, and lots come along together, since the 17th I have found four more!! 


How the ear ossicles work:

The ear ossicles fill the space of the middle ear and connect the ear drum to the oval window of the inner ear which in turn is connected to the cochlea, from where the auditory nerve leaves. From the ear drum, the bones are positioned in the following order - the malleus or hammer connects to the incus and the incus attaches to the stapes, which is the smallest of the three bones and thus the smallest bone in the human body. 


If you enjoyed my last post on the CSI: Sittingbourne and the Conservation workshop, Hayley Forsyth, has written a very good blog post about it. Follow the link to find out more ---> http://osteoarch.wordpress.com/2012/09/28/eastbourne-ancestors-conservation-workshops-2012/

 Due to work commitments, the post this week has been a little short, but I hope you enjoyed it all the same.

COMING SOON TO BLOG SCREENS NEAR YOU:

- Review of  Human Bones in Archaeology by Ann Stirland

- And my experiences at the Pottery in Archaeology Workshop. 

Until Next Sunday, I bid you farewell


Maisie