Zooarchaeology

by Elizabeth J. Reitz , Elizabeth S. Wing

• ISBN13: 9780521673938
• ISBN10: 0521673933
• Edition: 2nd
• Format: Paperback
• Copyright: 2008-01-14
• Publisher: Cambridge University Press

Summary

This is an introductory text for students interested in identification and analysis of animal remains from archaeological sites. The emphasis is on animals whose remains inform us about the relationship between humans and their natural and social environments, especially site formation processes, subsistence strategies, the processes of domestication, and paleoenvironments. Examining examples from all over the world, from the Pleistocene period up to the present, this volume is organized in a way that is parallel to faunal study, beginning with background information, bias in a faunal assemblage, and basic zooarchaeological methods. This revised edition reflects developments in zooarchaeology during the past decade. It includes new sections on enamel ultrastructure and incremental analysis, stable isotyopes and trace elements, ancient genetics and enzymes, environmental reconstruction, people as agents of environmental change, applications of zooarchaeology in animal conservation and heritage management, and a discussion of issues pertaining to the curation of archaeofaunal materials.

Author Biography

Elizabeth J. Reitz is Professor of Anthropology at the Georgia Museum of Natural History, University of Georgia Elizabeth S. Wing is Curator Emeritus at the Florida Museum of Natural History, University of Florida

Table of Contents

List of Figures	p. ix
List of Tables	p. xv
Preface to the Second Edition	p. xix
Acknowledgments	p. xxiii
Zooarchaeology	p. 1
Zooarchaeological History and Theory	p. 11
Basic Biology	p. 31
Ecology	p. 88
Disposal of Faunal Remains and Sample Recovery	p. 117
Gathering Primary Data	p. 153
Secondary Data	p. 182
Humans as Predators: Subsistence Strategies and Other Uses of Animals	p. 251
Control of Animals Through Domestication	p. 287
Evidence for Past Environmental Conditions	p. 316
Conclusions	p. 335
Taxonomic List	p. 353
Anatomical Drawings	p. 363
Reference Collections, Management of Archaeofaunal Collections, Publication, and Curation	p. 377
Hypothetical Collection Data	p. 396
Bibliography	p. 409
Systematic Index	p. 491
Topical Index	p. 504
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