AEB_A16a Archaeozoology

Faculty of Arts
Autumn 2024
Extent and Intensity
1/1/0. 3 credit(s). Type of Completion: k (colloquium).
Taught in person.
Teacher(s)
RNDr. Miriam Nývltová Fišáková, Ph.D. (lecturer)
doc. Mgr. Klára Šabatová, Ph.D. (assistant)
Guaranteed by
RNDr. Miriam Nývltová Fišáková, Ph.D.
Department of Archaeology and Museology – Faculty of Arts
Contact Person: Jitka Šibíčková
Supplier department: Department of Archaeology and Museology – Faculty of Arts
Prerequisites
It is good for the subject to complete Bi5125 Anthropology for Archaeologists but is not a prerequisite.
Course Enrolment Limitations
The course is only offered to the students of the study fields the course is directly associated with.
fields of study / plans the course is directly associated with
there are 25 fields of study the course is directly associated with, display
Course objectives
Main objectives can be summarized as follows:
- to understand the basic methods of archaeozoology (i.e. to learn about the anatomical positions of bones, species determination of bones, age determination based on teeth abrasion and postcranial skeleton, etc.) and to learn about activities connected with documentation and excavation of animal skeletons at archaeological localities;
- to become familiar with new methods of palaeogenetics, stable isotopes analysis which is important for the detection of origin, migration, diet, physiology, evolution comparative physiology and reconstruction of palaeoenvironment;
- to apply the results practically, in order to reconstruct the lifestyle of prehistoric people in most of its probabilities.
Learning outcomes
Student will be able to:
- recognize the basic species of domestic and wild animals based on osteological and odontological materials
- know how to excavate osteological material so as to extract as much information as possible
- know which basic quantification methods are used in zooarchaeology and how they are used with archaeological interpretations
- know the most up-to-date methods of skeletal material analysis and their use and problems
- know how to use all of these methods for the reconstruction of life in the past
Syllabus
  • 1. History.
  • 2. Methods of fieldwork and laboratory work with osteological material.
  • 3. Basic anatomical concepts.
  • 4. Skull and teeth anatomy of Pleistocene and Holocene animals.
  • 5. Postcranial skeletons anatomy of Pleistocene and Holocene animals.
  • 6. Main differences between construction of human or animal skull and postcranial skeleton.
  • 7. Archaeozoological analysis.
  • 8. Osteometry.
  • 9. Sex determination in animals and humans.
  • 10. Age determination in animals and humans.
  • 11. Palaeogenetics.
  • 12. Application of stable isotope analysis in order to reconstruct migrations, diet and palaeoecology of animals and humans. 13. Physiology and evolutionary comparative physiology
  • 14. Palaeopathology.
  • 15. Taphonomy.
  • 16. Palaeoecology.
  • 17. Reconstruction of human or animal appearance.
Literature
    required literature
  • ROČEK, Zbyněk. Historie obratlovců : evoluce, fylogeneze, systém. Vyd. 1. Praha: Academia, 2002, 511 s. ISBN 8020008586. info
  • KOMÁREK, Vladimír, Oldřich ŠTĚRBA and Oldřich FEJFAR. Anatomie a embryologie volně žijících přežvýkavců. 1. vyd. Praha: Grada, 2001, 449 s. ISBN 8071698539. info
  • Koldův atlas veterinární anatomie. Edited by Vladimír Komárek, Illustrated by Pavel Dvorský - Viera Postníková. 1. vyd. Praha: Grada, 1999, 701 s. ISBN 8071693529. info
  • ŠPINAR, Zdeněk Vlastimil. Paleontologie obratlovců. Illustrated by Zdeněk Burian. Vyd. 1. Praha: Academia, 1984, 859 s. URL info
    recommended literature
  • Čihák, R. 2001: Anatomie 1, Praha.
  • Reitz, E. J., Wing, E. S. 1999: Zooarchaeology, Cambridge.
  • The Oxford handbook of zooarchaeology. Edited by Umberto Albarella - Mauro Rizzetto - Hannah Russ - Kim Vickers - Sarah. First edition. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2017, xxii, 839. ISBN 9780199686476. info
  • NETTER, Frank H. Anatomický atlas člověka. Edited by John T. Hansen, Translated by Libor Páč - Petr Dubový. Vyd. 2., rozš. Praha: Grada, 2005, [14], 542. ISBN 8024711532. info
  • Antropologie : příručka pro studium kostry. Edited by Milan Stloukal. 1. vyd. Praha: Národní muzeum, 1999, 510 s. ISBN 8070361018. info
  • SCHMID, Elisbeth. Atlas of animal bones : for prehistorians, archaeologists and quaternary geologists : Knochenatlas : für Prähistoriker, Archäologen und Quartärgeologen (Souběž.). Amsterdam: Elsevier Publishing Company, 1972, 0-444-4083. info
Teaching methods
lectures
Assessment methods
Successful written test and practical determination of osteological material.
Language of instruction
Czech
Further comments (probably available only in Czech)
Information on completion of the course: Informace ke způsobu ukončení viz sylabus.
The course is taught once in two years.
The course is taught: every week.
The course is also listed under the following terms Autumn 2020, Autumn 2022.
  • Enrolment Statistics (Autumn 2024, recent)
  • Permalink: https://is.muni.cz/course/phil/autumn2024/AEB_A16a