ARCHAEOZOOLOGY

The laboratory of ARCHEOZOOLOGY (2 CFU) - part of the ARCHEOLOGY LABORATORY - is part of the training and orientation internships for the archaeological pathway of the Master's degree in SCIENZE DELL'ANTICHITÀ: ARCHEOLOGIA, LETTERATURE E STORIA - ARCHEOLOGY. The course aims to provide the fundamental concepts of the main methodologies for studying faunal remains from archaeological excavations, aimed at understanding the management and exploitation of animal resources in antiquity.

1. Knowledge and understanding.
To know the main methodologies for the collection and documentation of finds during archaeological excavation.
To know the specific terminology for the description of the bones that make up the skeleton of mammals.
Basic knowledge for taxonomic identification, determination of age at death, and sex of main domestic mammals, identification and interpretation of traces on the bone surface, as well as knowledge of the main methodologies for data interpretation.

2. Ability to apply knowledge and understanding.
To be able to apply the methodologies and knowledge acquired during the course to a faunal sample from an archaeological excavation.

No specific prerequisites are required.

Zooarchaeology: definition and brief history of the discipline. Relationships with other disciplines.
Study materials.
Identifying animal remains: fundamentals of osteology. Reference collections. Estimating age and sex: methods for estimating age at death through dentition and the fusion of long bones. Determination of sex through morphological and osteometric criteria.
Osteometry: methods of study and objectives.
Fundamentals of taphonomy. Methods of excavation, surveying, and recovery of zooarchaeological remains. Traces of anthropogenic and natural origin.
Quantification: calculation of the number of remains (NR) and the minimum number of individuals (MNI).
Data processing models to define the utilization of animals.

Notes from the lectures and additional study materials provided by the teacher.
DE GROSSI MAZZORIN J. 2008, Archeozoologia. Lo studio dei resti animali in archeologia, Roma-Bari.
CILLI C., MALERBA G., GIACOBINI G. 2000, Le modificazioni di superficie dei reperti in materia dura animale provenienti da siti archeologici. Aspetti metodologici e considerazioni tafonomiche, in "Bollettino del Museo Civico di Storia Naturale di Verona", 24(2000), pp. 73-98.

The assessment consists of a written test aimed at verifying the understanding of the topics presented in the lecture.

written

A student is considered to have passed the exam if they correctly answer 70% of the questions.

The course will be divided into theoretical lectures with PowerPoint presentations and a practical component, during which students will work on osteological materials.

This subject deals with topics related to the macro-area "Natural capital and environmental quality" and contributes to the achievement of one or more goals of U. N. Agenda for Sustainable Development