Zooarchaeology

An expanded and improved edition of an established text reflecting recent developments in zooarchaeology.

Elizabeth J. Reitz (Author), Elizabeth S. Wing (Author)

9780521673938, Cambridge University Press

Paperback, published 14 January 2008

560 pages
25.1 x 17.8 x 3 cm, 1.02 kg

'Students of zooarchaeology and seasoned practitioners alike will derive great benefit from this new edition of a classic work. Reitz and Wing have combined their considerable talents and decades of experience to produce a volume that is useful at every level. Issues particular to zooarchaeology are covered with clarity and thoroughness, while matters of general concern to the discipline, such as sampling, are prominently featured, making the book an excellent reference work. … All archaeologists are indebted to the authors for producing such a worthy volume: I encourage them to repay the debt by purchasing it.' Journal of Archaeological Science

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 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.

1. Zooarchaeology
2. Zooarchaeological history and theory
3. Basic biology
4. Ecology
5. Disposal of faunal remains and sample recovery
6. Gathering primary data
7. Secondary data
8. Humans as predators: subsistence strategies and other uses of animals
9. Control of animals through domestication
10. Evidences for past environmental conditions
11. Conclusions.

Subject Areas: Applied ecology [RNC], Zoology: Invertebrates [PSVT], Archaeological science, methodology & techniques [HDW], Environmental archaeology [HDP]