Themes in Old World Zooarchaeology

This new collection of papers from leading experts provides an overview of cutting-edge research in Old World zooarchaeology. The research presented here spans various areas across Europe, Western Asia and North Africa – from the Mediterranean to the Atlantic. Several chapters focus on Iberia, but the eastern Mediterranean and Britain are also featured.

Thematically, the book covers many of the research areas where zooarchaeology can provide a significant contribution. These include animal domestication, bone modifications, fishing, fowling, economic and social status, as well as adaptation and improvement. The investigation of these topics is carried out using a diversity of approaches, thus making the book also a useful compendium of traditional as well as more recently developed methodological applications. All contributions aim to present zooarchaeology as a discipline that studies animals to understand people, and their richly diversified past histories. This will be a valuable source of information not just for specialists, but also for general archaeologists and, potentially, also historians, palaeontologists and geographers, who have an interest for the research themes discussed in the book.

The book is dedicated to Simon Davis, who has been a genuine pioneer in the development of modern zooarchaeology. It presents hugely stimulating case studies from the core areas where Davis has worked in the course of his career.

Umberto Albarella is a Professor of Zooarchaeology at the University of Sheffield (UK). His research focuses on various aspects of past human –animal relationships and is mainly based in Italy and Britain. He is also interested in the relationship between archaeology, politics and social justice. Cleia Detry is a researcher at Uniarq, the Archaeology Research Unit of the School of Arts of the University of Lisbon. She has worked mainly on Portuguese zooarchaeological assemblages and has a long-standing collaboration with Simon Davis on osteometrics and animal improvement. She also contributes to the Masters in Archaeology at the University of Lisbon. Sónia Gabriel is a zooarchaeologist in charge of the Osteological Reference Collections of the Direcção Geral do Património Cultural (DGPC) (Laboratório de Arqueociências - LARC) in Lisbon. Her research is mainly based in Iberia and Morocco, and she has a particular expertise in fish bones. Catarina Ginja is the Principal Investigator of the Archaeogenetics group at CIBIO/InBIO-Research Centre in Biodiversity and Genetic at the University of Porto (Portugal). She is interested in understanding the origins, evolution and modes of improvement of domestic animals from the Iberian Peninsula. Ana Elisabete Pires is a biologist and researcher at CIBIO - InBIO Archaeogenetics Group (Portugal). Her main interest is in zooarchaeogenetics. Through the analyses of ancient DNA, she is committed to explore the evolutionary paths of the Iberian domestic animals, in particular the dog.