Chapter Zooarcheology: animals talk, just to complete the story

Abstract

Zooarcheology is a Frankenstein hybrid, born from the ribs of a myriad of disciplines. Its research focuses on animal remains from archeological contexts under an anthropological perspective with the primary and ultimate object of gaining information about human behavior. It has been, and often still is, considered a subdiscipline of archeology. And yet, it has the potential to greatly contribute to the advancement of knowledge in archeology. By using a variety of analytical methods, it provides independent lines of complementary scientific evidence from archeofaunal, geological, and sedimentary archives. It can yield detailed information on the environments in which past peoples lived, as well as on the intensity of human impacts on landscapes, on past human diets and on their evolution through time. It can also provide insights into the nature of the social organization of the people. All this reveals zooarcheology in a role that has not often been recognized.