Description
Zooarchaeology is the study of faunal remains (bone and shell) from
archaeological contexts to understand human use of animals for both food and
other purposes. This class provides an introduction to the method,
theory, and practice of zooarchaeology.
We examine the application of zooarchaeology to
different types of research questions and archaeological assemblages. We
also examine the factors related to both natural and human modification of bone
and shell (e.g., taphonomy, butchering practices, tool production).
You are required to master a variety of biological data related to vertebrate
skeletal structure using modern animal skeletons. Once
you have mastered skeletal biology and systematics
(taxonomy for different vertebrates), you will identify a sample of vertebrate
faunal material from an archaeological assemblage and prepare a report on that
material.
Syllabus html or
doc
Written assignments and projects
Taxonomy assignment
Recovery Methods assigment
Taphonomy assignment
Midterm study questions
Sea turtle anatomy
Fish cranium with labels
Fish cranium with labels high resolution