Zooarchaeology - Science topic

These bones come from a Pleistocene archaeological site located in Timor-Leste near Lake Ira Lalaro. Freshwater and marine fish remains have already been identified at this site. We have a few ideas that are not very conclusive. If you have any clues, don't hesitate. Thanks !

Which country and university is the best one to study environmental archaeology?

Can anyone recommend me a topic for research in the environmental archaeology?

International Symposium on environmental archaeology or geoarchaeology in 2019?

Different zooarchaeological studies have referred to canids (domestic dogs, wolves, coyotes, foxes, jackals, and dingoes) as the species having the most detrimental effects on skeletal remains. However, an article by Nicole M. Reeves in the Journal of Forensic Science on the "Taphonomic Effects of Vulture Scavenging" noted that vultures and other carrion birds also have a detrimental impact on bone material. Further, the peck marks of the carrion birds sometimes resemble the bite marks of canid canine teeth. Are there any studies comparing the taphonomic effects of these animals and how to differentiate between canids and carrion birds and their damage to faunal material?

The problem is that the 3d model of a bone fragment, made in slicer, does not only contain the outer, directly visible parts, but (obviously) also the inner bone structure, which uses a lot of polygons. 

Is there a way to remove these, rather than using (too) aggressive decimation techniques to bring the polycount (and filesize) down?

The goal would be to share this model online, which is without decimation 2.2 GB.

Someone who can help me in Environmental archaeology or Geoarchaeology

Several archaeozoological evidence from the Upper Paleolithic to the Neolithic show that not just classical projectiles, but simple blade fragments, trapezes were used for this purpose also.

In the Early Middle Ages (the period from 6th to 12th century) animals accompanied human societies. Birds started every day with a choir of their songs, big mammals were hunted (or bred) for meat and skins, and dogs were kept for protection. Several animal species held important roles during the various pre-Christian rituals, and after the conversion some of them become symbols linked to Christian religion.

Recently, during excavations on archaeological sites in Europe, numerous bones of inter alia mammals and birds have been discovered in various contexts. They were found on settlements or on the beds of lakes (or rivers). Moreover, their bones have also been discovered in various inhumation and cremation graves of men, women and children. After Christianisation, these creatures were no longer present in the graves, but their depictions appeared in ornamentations on grave monuments (e.g. hogbacks or shrines).

The variety of animals, as well as fantastic beasts or fauna, were depicted in simplistic or more detailed way on numerous artefacts. They were part of the complex pre-Christian ornamentation on weaponry, jewellery and Christian art (e.g. illuminated manuscripts, liturgical paraphernalia, architectonic details).

This session will explore different aspects of human-animal relations in Europe in the Early Middle Ages. Its aim is to discuss the roles of animals in pre-Christian and Christianised societies (e.g. Anglo-Saxon, Vendel Period, Viking Age or Western Slavic societies) from interdisciplinary angles. The meaning of various fauna in farming, craftsmanship, trade and rituals will be taken into account.

Organisers: Veronica Aniceti, Idoia Grau-Sologestoa, Mikolaj Lisowski (U. Sheffield), Marcos García-García (U. Granada), Silvia Valenzuela-Lamas (CSIC-IMF)

This session aims to highlight the important role of zooarchaeology in assessing the presence of dietary taboos in faunal assemblages, and interpreting their socio-cultural, religious, and economic significance. The session is open to all zooarchaeological studies dealing with dietary taboos in different geographical areas and periods, from prehistory to contemporary times.

This session aims to highlight the important role of zooarchaeology in assessing the presence of dietary taboos in faunal assemblages, and interpreting their socio-cultural, religious, and economic significance. The session is open to all zooarchaeological studies dealing with dietary taboos in different geographical areas and periods, from prehistory to contemporary times.

Despite the considerable amount of animal bones and teeth recovered from archaeological sites, this valuable material is not often used to determine identities in past societies. Nevertheless, animal remains are often associated with food consumption, an important cultural identifier. When humans recurrently eat a specific food, this becomes part of their cultural roots, whatever the origin of such consumption practices.

Equally, the prohibition of some food products can be associated with specific cultural backgrounds. In the literature, the avoidance of eating certain foods (beef, pork, fish, etc.) is commonly defined as ‘food taboo’. This definition, however, does not only refer to the avoidance of consuming specific animal species, but also to the rules on how animal products were processed.

Please submit paper abstracts visiting http://www.icaz2018ankara.com before the 30th March 2018.

Hi there, I am doing a zooarchaeological analysis in rodent bones. I have identified the taxons involved and group them in size groups (Big, medium and small). So, besides that, I need to take measures from my bone ensemble. What do I have to measure for each one of the different bone types? (Long bone, short, flat, irregular and besides, teeths). For example: In a femur, should I measure the size of the diafisis and also the whole bone? or what? I do not have clue at all above this

I would really appreciate any advice in this matter

Thank you for your time

What would be the best way to determine if a piece of bone in an archaeological artefact is human or non human? A story associated with the object is that the bone is human. As it is not able to be damaged, destructive testing is not allowed. The bone has been worked into a fish hook so its original form or which element it is from is unknown. Any suggestions?

Zooarchaeology - I currently have a copy of Simon Hillsons - Mammal Bones and Teeth but am after some additional literature to assist me in practicing species identification.

My study deals mostly with mammals and is focused in China. 

Hello,

I look desperately for the reference of a publication (Poland ?, 1960s) about the ribs of large Ice Age Mammals. It contains wonderful plates with illustrations of the ribs of woolly rhinoceros (Coelodonta antiquitatis), of horse, aurochs, deer etc., and figures of sections of the ribs. Unfortunately, I lost the paper and do not remember author, title and journal. I would be grateful if anyone can give me the reference.

Best regards,

Stefan Wenzel

It is possible to know the subspecie by its measures or morphology? Are there any studies respect?

I am trying to determine the season of occupation of archaeological sites in the Port Clarence area of the Seward Peninsula, AK. The majority of bones are from eiders and ringed seals, suggesting that they were captured during the early breakup in ice leads, but I have not been able to find modern eider migration/nesting data from this specific portion of the Seward Peninsula. I would like to determine the earliest month different eider species are found near the coastline, if they nest in the immediate area, and when they leave the nest and return to the open ocean.

Dear Collegues,

My name is Aritza Villaluenga, I am Postdoctoral researcher in zooarchaeology in MONREPOS Research Centre, Neuwied, Germany.

I am writing a new postdoctoral project, involving a holistic faunal analysis of a Middle Palaeolithic site of Germany, known as Buhlen(55.000-60.000BP), located SW of Kassel (Germany).

This site was excavated in 60s by Prof. Bosinski and in 80s by Dr. Fiedler. However, macromammal remains never have been studied, only in 2004 a partial analysis of Dr. Fiedler excavation was produced in the University of Leiden (Netherlands).

In one of the excavated areas, known as Upper Site, were discovered 1586 egg shell fragments. Avifauna bone remains were taxonomically analyzed by  Anne Eastham in 1998.Due to some,  problems was not possible to develop a microscopic method for identifying taxonomically those egg shells. 

Egg systematical recollection by neanderthals would be an interesting behavior, with clear seasonal implications, in the exploitation of small vertebrates and energy adquisition.

I would like to contact a researcher able to identifying taxonomically these egg shell fragments.

Aritza Villaluenga.

Dear all, I'm trying to develop a better interpretation framwork on the Bronze Age subsistence in Huai River basin, China. Could you please recommend some references related except Amber and Tanya's Integrating Zooarchaeology and paleoethnobotany?

Thank you for your interest,

Best regards.

I have found papers on the use of GMM on pinniped and phocidae skulls but nothing so far on long-bones, vertebrae or pelvis.

Thank you

Most abundance counts in paleontology and zooarchaeology use one of two major methodologies, Number of Identified Specimens (NISP) or Minimum Number of Individuals (MNI). However, in many situations, I have seen fossils from a given locality catalogued as several different specimens, even if it is obvious they belong to a single individual. For example, in several cases, a complete mammal skull will have the cranium be given one specimen number, the left dentary a second, and the right one a third, even if the jaws were found in occlusion. In these situations, especially if the counts are being done on a locality where elements are not found close to one another and therefore two given specimens are normally unlikely to belong to the same individual (e.g., a multi-square kilometer outcrop of a geological formation), does one count associated and articulated parts as a single "specimen"?

I am excavating in Jordan this season, and I am unfamiliar with their fauna. I'm assuming there are going to be Ovis/Capra remains, but what else should I be expecting?

In 2010 we discovered two unusual artifacts with unique characteristics made of dog mandibles, in the tell settlement of Sultana-Malu Roşu, Romania (see attachment). From a chrono-cultural point of view the site belongs to the Gumelnița culture (ca. 4600–3950 BC) part of the large Eneolithic cultural complex Kodjadermen-Gumelniţa-Karanovo VI from Balkans.

Does anybody know other artifacts made ​​of dog mandibles from prehistory or other time periods?

Thanks in advance.