Burnt bone
Department of Earth Sciences’ Geology Museum
This charred bone has been identified as an astragalus, one of the ankle bones, of a fossil hippo, but we have no idea where it was collected. It was rescued from the debris after Bristol City Museum’s Geology Gallery (located above what is now Brown’s Restaurant) was badly damaged in November 1940, in the first Blitz attack on Bristol during World War II. It serves as a poignant reminder of the vulnerability of even the most robust material, and of the fact that, when labels and records are destroyed, the scientific value of a specimen is greatly reduced.
- Item reference: BRSUG 9049
- Photographer: Simon Powell
- Copyright: Department of Earth Sciences, University of Bristol
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