This photographic atlas, developed over twenty years of teaching in the field, expedites the work of the zooarchaeologist by integrating both osteology and wildlife ecology into a single volume. Zooarchaeology, the study of animal remains found at archaeological sites, is interdisciplinary in nature, requiring students and researchers to not only master the technical skills of identifying fragmentary bones and teeth but also to develop a deep understanding of the taxonomy, natural history, behavior, and ecology of the species identified. Until now, these topics have always been treated separately. This book is the only field guide and laboratory manual to combine animal ecology and natural history with the detailed osteology of all the vertebrate classes (fishes, amphibians, birds, and mammals) and all the primary orders native to western North America. Skeletal images are shown at a variety of magnifications and views and are accompanied by photographs of the animals in their characteristic habitats.
Contains a wealth of information useful to vertebrate paleozoologists and also to forensic wildlife biologists. A rigorously scientific treatment. The book is superb; the photographs are excellent.
R. Lee Lyman, Chair, Department of Anthropology, University of Missouri–Columbia
No other book (or website for that matter) treats all the vertebrates from western North America in such a comprehensive fashion. This book fills an important niche.
Virginia L. Butler, Professor, Department of Anthropology, Portland State University
A very useful and welcome addition to the arsenal of tools available to zooarchaeologists.…This is unarguably an excellent volume that will make a positive contribution to any zooarchaeologist’s bookshelf, and will certainly be of interest to the wider archaeological and ecological communities as well.
Canadian Journal of Archaeology
It is unique in its attempt to bring together a succinct overview of the behavior of many species found in the west today, alongside clear descriptions of vertebrate skeletal morphology. Broughton and Miller make a solid case for the importance of understanding the life history and ecology of animals as part of the archaeological research.
California Archaeology
More than a lab manual. . . . Zooarchaeology and Field Ecology helps to disclose a broader set of evolutionary and ecological values that we would all be wise to keep fresh in our minds.
Journal of California and Great Basin Anthropology
The volume gives zooarchaeologists the tools needed to develop the intuitive process that will aide them in making identifications, but also interpreting their finds. . . . I wholeheartedly recommend Zooarchaeology & Field Archaeology: A Photographic Atlas as a key text for introductory zooarchaeology courses and as a welcome supplement to any zooarchaeological laboratory library.
Historical Archaeology
About the Author
Jack M. Broughton is a professor of anthropology at the University of Utah where he teaches archaeology, osteology, and zooarchaeology and holds an adjunct appointment in vertebrate zoology at the Natural History Museum of Utah.
Shawn D. Miller is an associate instructor of biology at the University of Utah and will receive his PhD in Biological Anthropology at the end of 2015. He is a coauthor of the Atlas of Human Anatomy, the educational software Real Anatomy, and the Human Anatomy Interactive Atlas.
Table of Contents
List of Illustrations
Foreword by Frank E. Bayham
Preface
Acknowledgments
1. INTRODUCTION
2. FISHES
I. General Osteology of Fishes
II. Taxonomy and Osteological Variation of Western Fishes
3. AMPHIBIANS
I. General Osteology of Amphibians
II. Taxonomy and Osteological Variation of Western Amphibians
4. REPTILES
I. General Osteology of Reptiles
II. Taxonomy and Osteological Variation of Western Reptiles
5. MAMMALS
I. General Osteology of Mammals
II. Taxonomy and Osteological Variation of Western Mammals
6. BIRDS
I. General Osteology of Birds
II. Taxonomy and Osteological Variation of Western Birds
7. TAPHONOMY AND BONE DAMAGE
References
Suggestions for Further Reading
Index
