Professor
George Carter
Texas A&M University - College Station- Texas - USA
15-4-1985
Dear
Professor Carter,
First
I must apologise for not answering your October letter. I have had a number of
personal family problems over the past months and consequently my
correspondence, writing etc have fallen behind. However I can see the light at
the end of the tunnel and my life is getting back near to normal once again.
I
thank you for your comments on my Chicken
bone recoveries and the further information you supplied. Thank you also
for correcting the location of Picuris Pueblo as being in the State of New
Mexico rather than in Mexico itself.
You
spoke of me regarding your paper from Man
across the sea on the chicken as being invalid speculation. It was
not me who thought along these lines. I had only quoted from a personal
communication I had received from Dr Roger C.Green, Professor of Prehistory,
the University of Auckland, New Zealand. I don’t think any of information I
have received from yourself and others of this subject is invalid. It all has
its place I feel, when all these pieces of information are put together
hopefully they will add up to something.
I
am hopeful that the information I have put together in the Chicken
Bone book will indeed encourage others to do further study. I think you
and I both agree that further bones recovery is very necessary for us to gain
any ground.
I
have had some feedback from the book and of special significance was the copy
of a paper from Mrs Sally Rodwell of Cambridge, England. It is entitled China’s
earliest farmers, the evidence from Cishan. You will note I mentioned Mrs
Rodwell in Chicken Bone recoveries.
She advises that there is now some interest being shown by British archaeologists
in the issue of the origins of the domestic fowl.
Her
paper covered work of Professor Zhou Ben Xiong who excavated faunal remains
from Cishan and other sites in Northern China. Much chicken bone has been
recovered and carbon dated around 5000 BC. This would probably be the earliest
chicken bone yet recovered and opens up new avenues I would say.
Professor
Higham of the University of Otago in New Zealand promised to send me chicken
bones recovered in North East Thailand but nothing has arrived as yet. Perhaps
he is away on another trip.
Mrs
Rodwell is showing my bone notes to a chap at the Institute of Archaeology in
London whom she feels would be interested so perhaps some more information may
come to hand.
I
am still continuing with my writing and research hoping to get more people
interested in following up the subject of the origins etc of the domestic
chicken. If I can do this I will feel that I have achieved something. Hope
this letter finds you well, and sorry I’ve been so long answering. Hoping to
hear from again in the not too distant future.
Sincerely
yours,