Animal bones in Australian archaeology: A field guide to common native and introduced species

Melanie Fillios · Natalie Blake

Dec 2015 · Sydney University Press

About this ebook

Zooarchaeology has emerged as a powerful way of reconstructing the lives of past societies. Through the analysis of animal bones found on a site, zooarchaeologists can uncover important information on the economy, trade, industry, diet, and other fascinating facts about the people who lived there.

Animal bones in Australian archaeology is an introductory bone identification manual written for archaeologists working in Australia. This field guide includes 16 species commonly encountered in both Indigenous and historical sites. Using diagrams and flow charts, it walks the reader step-by-step through the bone identification process. Combining practical and academic knowledge, the manual also provides an introductory insight into zooarchaeological methodology and the importance of zooarchaeological research in understanding human behaviour through time.

 

About the author

Melanie Fillios is a consulting archaeologist, faunal analyst and lecturer in archaeology at the University of New England, with a special interest in the relationship between humans and animals throughout history. 

Natalie Blake is a consulting archaeologist and a PhD student at the University of Sydney interested in the archaeology of the late prehistoric period in the southeast Solomon Islands.