Admission requirements
- Bioarchaeology (or equivalent level) obtained.
Description
Brief introductory description of the course. Please include course subject and teaching materials used, so that students have a clear idea of what the course is about and what they can reasonably expect (250 - 300 words).
Archaeo-zoological and palaeo-zoological research require knowledge on comparative osteology, a wide-ranging techniques and research methods, their application possibilities and their appropriate analysis and presentation of data. To do so, seminar lab sessions will introduce comparative osteology for main mammal European fauna, evolutionary trends, biological data from bones such as age and sex estimation, osteometry and taphonomy data, quantification of archaeozoologial remains, among other methodologies.
Hands-on work will help to develop research and technical skills used in the discipline that can actually broaden to a more general archaeological scope. Familiarising and interpreting faunal data and research papers are important to highlight the contribution of archaeo-zoology to archaeological questions, and to encourage an active participation in palaeo/archaeo-zoological discussions and debates.
All these aspects will be addressed in detail with reference material first, and the study of a faunal collection from an archaeological site where both environmental and anthropic perspectives will be addressed. The site for study will depend on what is available at the time.
Course objectives
Knowledge of and insight into the research methods and techniques and their application possibilities within archaeozoology;
Knowledge of and insight into its framing within archaeology;
Basic knowledge of and insight into the diversity and evolution of the different animal groups in the Quaternary;
Ability to recognise and identify skeletal elements of selected mammal taxa;
Ability to describe zoological material according to the standards used in the subject field;
Ability to identify and distinguish diagnostic features on skeletal remains as well as human derived traces, pathologies, and biological and natural modifications;
Ability to conduct archaeozoological research by studying animal remains using various research methods;
Ability to create a basic database;
Ability to analyse data and develop basic interpretation of data;
Ability to conduct a faunal research and combine the results with other aspects of an archaeological study;
Ability to write a basic report of faunal research of this discipline.
Timetable
Course schedule details can be found in MyTimetable.
Log in with your ULCN account, and add this course using the 'Add timetable' button.
Mode of instruction
Compulsory theoretic-practical sessions 2 days per week.
Per session:
Approx. 50 minutes of lecture;
10 minutes break;
2 hours of practical.
Assessment method
Written assignment: Faunal report (60%);
Written test with practical component (40%).
To pass the course, both grades must be 5.5 or higher. Both assessment methods can be retaken.
Assessment deadlines
The dates of exams and retakes can be found in MyTimetable. The deadlines of papers, essays and assignments are communicated through Brightspace.
Reading list
Reading list per session will be provided in Brightspace. There will be readings from the archaeozoological manuals below (availability in other languages is indicated).
O’Connor, T. (2000). –The Archaeology of animal bones. Sutton Publishing. Phoenix Mill. (ebook available updated in 2013).
Reitz, E.J. & E.S. Wing (2008). Zooarchaeology. 2ND Edition. Cambridge University Press. Cambridge.
Other Manuals in Archaeozoology that can be useful and/or are in other languages:
Chaix, L. & P. Meniel (1996) - Eléments d'Archéozoologie. Editions Errance. Paris (Available in Spanish).
Chaplin, R.E. (1971) - The study of animal bones from archaeological sites. Seminar Press. Londres.
Davis, S.J.M. (1987) - The Archaeology of Animals. Batsford. London. (ebook available updated in 2012). (Also available in Spanish, Greek, among others).
De Grossi Mazzorin, J. (2008) – Archeozoologia. Lo Studio dei Resti Animali in Archeologia. Editori Laterza. Gius.
Gifford-Gonzalez, Diane (2018) - An Introduction to Zooarchaeology, Springer Cham.
Groot, M (2010) - Materiaal en Methoden, Handboek Zoöarcheologie. Archeologisch Centrum van de Vrije Universiteit Handrik Brunsting Stichting. Amsterdam.
Registration
Registration start dates for the BA2 seminars differ from the registration dates of the regular courses.
Registration will take place with the use of forms. These will be e-mailed by the study advisers to all BA2 students at the beginning of March.
The Administration Office will register all Archaeology BA2 students in uSis for their seminar exams. Important! If you want to do an exam retake, you have to register yourself via MyStudymap.
Contact
For more information about this course, please contact Dr. Laura Llorente Rodríguez.
Contact hours: Monday to Friday upon appointment of max. 30 minutes per student.