The Archaeology of Animal Bones

The Archaeology of Animal Bones
Terry O'Connor | 2004-04-23 00:00:00 | Sutton Publishing Ltd | 224 | Social Sciences
Animal bones are one of the most abundant types of evidence found in archaeological sites dating from pre-historic times to the Middle Ages, and they can reveal a startling amount about the economy and way of life of people in the past. This is a fascinating introduction for anyone seeking how to understand how these bones can shed light on our knowledge of the past, as well as the complex relationship between human and animals. Written by one of the most respected experts in this field, and published for the first time in paperback, this book will be essential reading for archaeologists, or indeed anyone intrigued by the recreation of long lost worlds from the most insignificant-seeming fragments of animal bones.
Reviews
I have once again ordered Terry O'Connor's excellent introduction to zooarchaeology as the primary text for my one semester long (13 weeks) course on zooarchaeology.

While this is not a comprehensive guide to zooarchaeology, I believe it is the best introduction currently available for undergraduate students, for the following reasons:

a. it covers a wide range of topics, including areas that might receive less coverage in most North American courses (e.g. analysis of complex urban economies)

b. it uses examples from a variety of areas

c. it is well written, with little use of jargon

d. each chapter serves very well to introduce major topics in zooarchaeology; these can be supplemented by journal readings selected by the instructor to provide more detailed case studies for students to read.

e. it is reasonably priced

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