| Zooarchaeology |
Website Links For Zooarchaeology |
Information AboutZooarchaeology |
| CATEGORIES ABOUT ZOOARCHAEOLOGY | |
| archaeological sub-disciplines | |
| ethnobiology | |
| zoology | |
| methods and principles in archaeology | |
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Zooarchaeology, also known as '''Archaeozoology''', is the study of Animal Remains from Archaeological Sites . The remains consist primarily of the hard parts of the Body such as Bone s, teeth, and Shell s. Such remains may represent the food refuse of ancient populations as well as animals used for transportation, farm labor, clothing, decoration, or pets. The study of these remains helps archaeologists understand past human subsistence strategies and economic interactions, and completes our picture of the kind of Environment s humans have inhabited. NAMING THE DISCIPLINE The multi-disciplinary nature of this field is reflected in the disagreements over its name. One of the first clear references to this area of study was by Lubbock (1865) who used the term ''zoologico-archaeologist''. The modern derivatives, such as ''zooarchaeology'', ''zooarcheologie'', or ''zooarchaeologia'' are probably the most commonly used terms in the Americas and reflect the Anthropological perspective prevalent in their research. In Eurasia and Africa the term ''archaeozoology'' is more commonly seen, and this emphasises the Biological nature of the animal remains. Other terms that are occasionally used are ''osteoarchaeology'', '' Bioarchaeology '' and '' Ethnozoology ''. While these disputes may seem trivial, they reflect differences in the approach and perception of the same material (Reitz and Wing, 1999: 2-6). ZOOARCHAEOLOGY AND RELATED FIELDS As can be seen from the discussion about the name that should be given to this discipline, zooarchaeology overlaps significantly with other areas of study. These include: ZOOARCHAEOLOGICAL ANALYSIS Primary analysis of individual assemblages A typical report based upon a faunal assemblage will include the following information:
Wider areas of study Such analyses provide the basis by which further interpretations can be made. Topics that have been addressed by zooarchaeologists include: REFERENCES
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