update: Egypt mystery fossil

[Adrienne Mayor <afmayor@aol.com>]

Many of you responded to my previous query for help in identifying an  
Egyptian mystery fossil, one of several tons of fossils gathered and  
wrapped in linen by worshippers of the ancient Egyptian god Set  
thousands of years ago. They were discovered in a temple by British  
Egyptologists in the 1920s.

As I reported in "The First Fossil Hunters" (2000), the never-opened  
crates of fossils discovered at the shrine have been languishing in a  
warehouse in London for nearly a century. Part of the mystery is  
about to be solved.

One of the fossil specimens unwrapped by curators at the Bolton  
Museum, UK, is preserved enough to be identified, with the help of  
paleonotologists on these lists.

See the news release by the Bolton Museum here:

http://www.boltonmuseums.org.uk/news/bonebundlemystery

and read about the contest to guess the identity of the fossil bone:

http://www.boltonmuseums.org.uk/news/competitiontoidentify

Results will be announced in May 2007.

Thanks again for all your help!
Adrienne