Small calcareous concretions from the middle ear region of fish, quite commonly found on archaeological sites. Otoliths are normally recovered by wet sieving of deposits from excavations. Study of otoliths recovered in this way allows the identification of the fish species present on the site. It may also be possible to estimate the size of fish. Microscopic studies of growth layers within otoliths allow estimation of age and even of the season during which fish were caught.
The Macmillan dictionary of archaeology, Ruth D. Whitehouse, 1983Copied