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 Collection Manager
(Vertebrates)

Transvaal Museum index

Archaeozoology (Vertebrates)

      The Distribution of Macromammals in Southern Africa over the past 30 000 years click

What is archaeozoology?
The science Archaeozoology is mainly occupied with the identification of bone fragments from archaeological sites and the investigation of the relationship between animals and humans in the past. Through the study of comparative skeletal anatomy, we are able to trace the past in terms of human social history, subsistence patterns, animal distributions and past environments.

Archaeozoology at the Transvaal Museum makes use of an extensive skeletal collection. We focus mainly on the larger mammals, but also incorporate some bird, reptile, rodent and fish material. We study faunal material from archaeological sites dating back to the Stone and Iron Ages of Southern Africa, and we have also analysed a few historical and palaeontological sites. 

Archaeozoology is not...
Archaeozoology is not the study of fossils. Sometimes we work with fossilised animal material, and sometimes we are involved with some early man/cave deposit sites. In these instances we are  concerned with basic identification and also with the relationship that the animals had with these hominids. 

Why is archaeozoology important?
Archaeozoology at the Transvaal Museum is unique in that we are the only official division of its kind in Southern Africa. Although we are not as specialized as some of our overseas colleagues, we provide information on a variety of topics that is not only relevant to archaeologists and anthropologists, but also to the general public of Southern Africa. The results of archaeozoological identifications provides information on:
  Animal species present at a specific place at a specific time in our country’s history. 
  Human and animal relationships and how they changed through time.
  Ritual use of animals in the past.
  Hunting and herding strategies of the first people that occupied South Africa.
  Processes of domestication.
  Age estimates of animals at the time of death, and the presence/absence of diseases.
  Changes in the climatic conditions of South Africa.
  Changes in the environment.
  Forensic identification for the South African Police Service. 
                                                  

Specific study areas of Archaeozoology.
The different archaeozoological study areas are usually interlinked, but for clarity they may be divided into four basic areas of study:

  The study of archaeofaunal remains excavated from archaeological sites: The archaeologist excavates the site(s) and the bone and shell material are sent to the Archaeozoology Department for identification. We carefully examine all the fragments, whether they are identifiable or non-identifiable, and then we use our comparative collection to identify each bone of part of a bone. All the information that can be extracted from each piece of bone is noted on a card, e.g. species/skeletal part/damage/weight/measurements/pathology/taphonomy/etc. Afterwards all the information on the cards are combined, we write up a specialist faunal site report.

  The study of the natural environment and the relation between this environment and its animal inhabitants: This study area may focus on past environmental climates, ecology and the past distribution of animals in that particular environment. The information is then related to the present environment and whether any changes particularly in animal distribution/populations can be noted. This has particular importance to conservationists who wish to restock game in areas where they may or may not be suitable. The examination of cattle herding practices during the Iron Age (over the last two thousand years), is one such area of interest.

  The study of general animal anatomy: Archaeozoologists are also interested in whether there are any changes in skeletal morphology in time and space. Changes may relate to a changed environment, dietary constraints, genetic alterations, or even human influence on the skeletal structure of animals through selective breeding. We also look at subtle morphological differences between similarly-sized animal groups in order to distinguish skeletal differences that may aid identification  when the material we have is very fragmentary. 

The reintroduction of indigenous domestic fauna to Southern Africa: Archaeozoology is also participating in the recent revival of the reintroduction of indigenous domestic animals to farming in Southern Africa. These animals are more suited to our environmental conditions than the imported, “improved” breeds that have been maintained over the past century. Not only are they resistant to various pests and diseases but, economically, they are far better suited to our farming conditions than breeds needing a lot of nutritional and veterinary attention. The information obtained from archaeozoological research can help contribute to the establishment of early breeds, where they occurred and their distribution.

Archaeozoological training.
The required qualification for an archaeozoologist is a university degree in either Zoology, Medicine, Anatomy or Archaeology, followed by postgraduate training in archaeozoology, since not one of the South African universities offers training in this science.

To be able to do bone-identification on archaeological material, one needs to have a knowledge of the following:
Skeletal anatomy of animals.
Differences between herbivores/carnivores/birds/reptiles.
Tooth eruption sequences and bone fusing rates.
General archaeology, palaeontology and anthropology.
Basic recognition of bone pathology.
Taphonomic (after death) processes affecting bones.
Statistical methods relating specifically to bone analyses.