9.2 Zooarchaeological Techniques and Analysis

Animal bones tell stories of ancient lives. Zooarchaeology digs into these remains, uncovering how people hunted, farmed, and ate. By studying bones and teeth, researchers piece together past diets, economies, and environments.

Experts use cool tricks to figure out animal species, age, and sex from bones. They look for butchery marks and other clues to understand how people used animals. This helps paint a picture of ancient hunting, farming, and cultural practices.

Zooarchaeology: Techniques and Interpretation

Role of zooarchaeology

Top images from around the web for Role of zooarchaeology

• 

  Frontiers | The Power of a Positive Human–Animal Relationship for Animal Welfare View original

  Is this image relevant?

• 

  New trajectories or accelerating change? Zooarchaeological evidence for Roman transformation of ... View original

  Is this image relevant?

• 

  Frontiers | The Power of a Positive Human–Animal Relationship for Animal Welfare View original

  Is this image relevant?

• 

  New trajectories or accelerating change? Zooarchaeological evidence for Roman transformation of ... View original

  Is this image relevant?

1 of 2

Top images from around the web for Role of zooarchaeology

• 

  Frontiers | The Power of a Positive Human–Animal Relationship for Animal Welfare View original

  Is this image relevant?

• 

  New trajectories or accelerating change? Zooarchaeological evidence for Roman transformation of ... View original

  Is this image relevant?

• 

  Frontiers | The Power of a Positive Human–Animal Relationship for Animal Welfare View original

  Is this image relevant?

• 

  New trajectories or accelerating change? Zooarchaeological evidence for Roman transformation of ... View original

  Is this image relevant?

1 of 2

• Zooarchaeology studies animal remains from archaeological sites to understand past human-animal relationships and subsistence strategies
• Analyzes bones, teeth, and other animal-derived materials to provide insights into hunting and fishing practices, animal domestication and husbandry, dietary preferences, food processing techniques, environmental conditions, and social and cultural aspects of human-animal interactions
• Helps reconstruct past lifeways, economies, and environments by examining how humans interacted with and utilized animal resources (fishing, hunting, herding)

Techniques in zooarchaeological analysis

• Skeletal element identification involves identifying the species and body part of each bone or tooth fragment, which requires knowledge of animal anatomy and comparative collections (reference skeletons)
• Age and sex determination techniques estimate the age at death of animals based on tooth eruption, wear patterns, and bone fusion, while determining the sex of animals using morphological differences in bones and teeth (pelvis shape, canine size)
• Taphonomic analysis studies the processes that affect animal remains after death, such as identifying signs of butchery (cut marks), burning, gnawing (carnivore or rodent marks), and other modifications to distinguish between natural and cultural factors influencing bone preservation (weathering, trampling)

Interpretation of faunal remains

• Zooarchaeologists interpret faunal remains to reconstruct past hunting practices by analyzing the species, age, and sex of hunted animals, identifying hunting techniques based on skeletal element representation (body part frequencies) and butchery patterns, and reconstructing seasonal hunting activities and prey selection strategies
• Animal domestication is tracked through changes in animal morphology (size reduction) and population structure over time, identifying the presence of non-native species (horses in the Americas) and changes in herd management practices, and studying the spatial distribution of animal remains within settlements
• Environmental conditions are reconstructed using faunal remains as proxies for past climates and landscapes, analyzing changes in species composition and diversity over time, and inferring past habitats and ecosystem dynamics based on the ecological preferences of identified species (forest vs. grassland)

Challenges in zooarchaeological interpretation

• Preservation issues include differential preservation of animal bones based on size, density, and burial conditions, incomplete or fragmented remains that limit identification and quantification, and taphonomic factors that can obscure or mimic human-induced modifications
• Sample size limitations involve small or unrepresentative samples that may not reflect the full range of animal use, difficulty distinguishing between absence of evidence and evidence of absence, and limited ability to detect rare or seasonally-used species
• Cultural biases encompass differences in butchery practices, disposal patterns, and site formation processes across cultures, potential over-representation of certain species or elements due to cultural preferences or taboos (pork in Islamic contexts), and the influence of social status, gender roles, and religious beliefs on animal use and deposition