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This paper discusses transformations in human behavior between the Iron Age and the Roman times in the tribal territory of the Treveri, later civitas Treverorum, located between the Rhine and the Ardennes. This aspect has been examined from two perspectives: first, from an anthropological point of view vis‐a‐vis the historical inhabitants, and second, from an archaeozoological perspective regarding domestic animals. Due to small sample sizes and/or difficulty in dating, both regarding humans and domestic animals, transformations in living conditions and animal‐keeping could mostly be outlined only for the La Tène and Roman times. Only the Celtic‐Roman cemetery of Wederath‐Belginum with continued use from middle La Tène to late antiquity offers a more complex insight into human mortality and animal offerings. People lived longer in the Roman times but had more pathologies compared with the previous La Tène period. Body height remained similar in the La Tène and Roman times. However, differences existed within specific human groups (for example, warriors and craftsmen), compared to the normal population. Sex differences in mortality persisted from La Tène to Roman times. The faunal composition in the burials, settlements, and sanctuaries also shows changes. Since the middle La Tène period, chickens have been present. The first oysters can be found in Augustean times, whereas exotic birds such as crested fowls and peacocks are found only in later Roman times and are quite rare. A new direction in animal‐keeping is demonstrated via an increasing logarithmic size index (LSI) in cattle and sheep. The multivariate methods applied in this study offer further insights into the domain and can serve as helpful tools for osteoarchaeological data analysis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Embedded artifacts in osteoarchaeological remains may be key to approaching hunting strategies and other behavioral‐related issues such as technological development. However, that kind of evidence is not common within the archaeological record and often not well‐characterized, especially for faunal remains from prehistoric sites. Here, we present and discuss a unique case of a horse (Equus caballus) mandible with an embedded lithic remains from the Upper Paleolithic (ca. 17,300–16,200 cal BP) from La Garma cave in Cantabria, Spain. Our macro‐ and microscopic faunal and lithic integrated analysis suggests that the case presented here is a potential perimortem hunting lesion, representing an uncommon hunting strategy during the Magdalenian period. Furthermore, this study, representing the first case of its kind in the Iberian Peninsula, emphasizes the importance of the taphonomic analysis of bone surfaces to approach the understanding of past human behaviors. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The early Gravettian site of Maisières‐Canal (Belgium) was discovered in 1966, during the widening of the Canal du Centre. Emergency excavation allowed the discovery of an open‐air human occupation which yielded abundant archaeological material. A re‐examination of the well‐preserved faunal collections has expanded the bird assemblage from the 29 bones initially recognized to 78, which have been studied from an archaeozoological point of view. Six taxa were identified, including species regularly encountered in Upper Paleolithic sites, such as the snowy owl (Bubo scandiacus), the northern raven (Corvus corax), and the willow or rock ptarmigan (Lagopus sp.). Ducks (Anatinae) are by far the best represented taxa. Surprisingly, only radius fragments were recovered for ducks, most bearing breaks and tool marks. We paid special attention to this peculiar set of duck radiuses. We performed experiments on fresh duck wings to evaluate the impact of different actions on the radius. Based on our experiments, two main hypotheses emerged. This accumulation of duck radiuses may represent (1) the waste from the production of dry wings and/or (2) a supply of raw material for craft activities. However, neither of these two hypotheses can be conclusively confirmed. As well as exhibiting some discrepancies, the bird bone assemblage from Maisières‐Canal shares several characteristics with early Gravettian sites from central Europe. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study presents the results of an ornitho‐archaeological analysis of avian bones from Stare gmajne and Blatna Brezovica, two Eneolithic pile dwelling sites in the area of Ljubljansko barje, Slovenia. Avian bone remains, together with remnants of huts, tools, mammal bones and bones of other vertebrates, represent the material remnant of a pile dwelling culture from the second half of the fourth millennium BC. A total of 2091 avian bones or fragments thereof were excavated. The avifauna includes 682 taxonomically identified remains (NISP), assigned to 15 bird taxa. Taxonomically, species from the Anatidae group predominate (68.7% of NISP), mainly Bucephala clangula (40.3% of NISP). Also abundant is Fulica atra (26.2% NISP) from the family Rallidae. In the ecological context, species inhabiting aquatic or marshy habitats prevail. Representatives of three ecomorphological groups of waterbirds were found: diving birds (Podiceps sp., Phalacrocorax carbo, Aythya fuligula, B. clangula and Mergus sp.), waterbirds (Cygnus sp., Anser sp., Anas sp. and F. atra) and the marsh species group (Ardea cinerea). The absence of medullary bone and the abundance of wintering species in the area are consistent with the hypothesis that the birds were captured during the winter season. Taphonomic evidence (burned bones) suggests that the studied assemblages were human food waste. The abundance of avian bone remains supports the hypothesis that the native peoples were skilled hunters of aquatic birds. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The scientific importance of the archaeozoological study of 16th‐ to 17th‐century faunal materials from Old Dongola in Sudan cannot be overstated in view of it being the only regular project of its kind on postmedieval material from Sudan to date. The results highlight the dynamics of the sociopolitical transformation taking place at this time. From the point of view of the economy, domestic cattle were the most important species, and there are certain indications in favour of long‐distance trade following mainly a north–south vector and taking advantage of the old early Makurian forts. The archaeozoological data reflect the presence of large homogeneous populations of short‐horned cattle resembling the varieties kept in Meroitic times. Small ruminants held an important place in local consumption patterns; and new species, the camel and the domestic chicken, gained a place for themselves in this period. A much more extensive use of wild game—birds, reptiles and species of catfish—also distinguished the economy of 16th‐ to 17th‐century Dongola. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study represents the first detailed archaeozoological analysis on garum remains from Pompeii. It aims to contribute to our knowledge of activities connected to garum in one of the most celebrated centres of production in the Mediterranean by osteoarchaeological, taphonomical, and ecological analyses. One place for the production and sale of this fish sauce was located in the urban perimeter of the town, the so‐called "garum shop", buried by the pyroclastic deposits of the Vesuvius eruption in 79 AD. After a short summary about the nature, role and origin of garum, and its production processes, a description of the state of the art about garum production in Pompeii is summarized to assess the issue. The analyses undertaken on the remains found in an amphora from the "garum shop" show that the production of at least one kind of garum in Pompeii was obtained using individuals of picarels (Spicara smaris) as the fundamental ingredient. The state of preservation of the fish remains indicates that the picarels were not subject to any intense process of movement or compression that could have caused breakage at fragile points of the fish skeletons; it is therefore deduced that the product was still in the maceration stage awaiting the final process when the Pompeii destruction happened. The study revealed that the picarels were left to macerate whole; they were neither decapitated nor filleted. The osteoarchaeological and ecological analyses revealed the age of death, the sex, and the season when the fish was caught contributing to define the fishing techniques, the production processes, and the period of the year when the volcanic destruction happened. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A description is given of the violence-related pathologies that are observed in a number of wild mammals that were buried in the predynastic cemetery HK6 at Hierakonpolis, Upper Egypt. Unlike other predynastic graveyards, where only domestic cattle, sheep, goat and dogs are interred, the elite cemetery HK6 yielded also a wide variety of wild species that were buried as part of extensive mortuary complexes surrounding the graves of the highest local elite. The animals were interred, singly or in groups, often in graves of their own, but some also accompany human burials. Pathologies were found on the skeletons of 20 of the 38 wild animals discovered thus far, namely 15 anubis baboons ( Papio anubis), one leopard ( Panthera pardus), one jungle cat ( Felis chaus), one hartebeest ( Alcelaphus buselaphus), one aurochs ( Bos primigenius) and one hippo ( Hippopotamus amphibius). Most of the pathologies are healed fractures resulting from violent blows, and a smaller proportion seems to be related to tethering. These conditions indicate that the animals were held in captivity for a prolonged period of time after their capture. The type and frequency of the encountered deformations differ from those seen in wild animals from other, more recent Egyptian cemeteries (Abydos, Tuna el-Gebel, Gabanet el-Girou and Saqqara) where mainly metabolic disorders are observed that have been attributed to chronic malnutrition and vitamin D deficiency as a result of inadequate housing in a dark environment. Copyright © 2015 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The paper describes and analyses recent finds of the European pond turtle ( Emys orbicularis) from the archaeological sites at Obříství (Mělník District, at the confluence of the Elbe and Moldau rivers in the Bohemian Basin, Czech Republic). Turtle remains were found in three sunken features dated to the Late Bronze Age or to the Hallstatt period, and in one feature dated to the Neolithic. The high number of osteological finds, particularly the number of individuals found in one place, is unique within Bohemia and very rare for the Bronze Age to Iron Age in Europe. A large number of shell remains were identified, from at least 12 individuals in feature 1480, and from at least 5 individuals in feature 1483. The high numbers support the hypothesis that the European pond turtle was once a regular feature of the local fauna, even though the Bohemian basin is surrounded by mountains, which will have presented difficulties for the process of postglacial recolonization by semiaquatic thermophilous reptiles. The findings from Obříství show evidence of the exploitation of turtles for food. Signs of culinary procedures and the human consumption of turtles include anthropogenic chop marks, signs of burning and the apparently intentional segmentation of the turtle bodies. The quantity of turtle bones is still negligible, however, compared with those of mammals. Copyright © 2015 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Measurements on cranial and pectoral girdle bones of 56 museum specimens of modern sturgeon ( Acipenser sturio and A. oxyrinchus) were used for the establishment of regression equations allowing back-calculation of size from isolated sturgeon remains. Different curve fittings (power, linear, logarithmic and exponential fit) were modeled to retain the most accurate regression. These were then applied to archaeological sturgeon remains ( A. sturio/ A. oxyrinchus) from Vlaardingen, a Dutch late Neolithic settlement. The back-calculated lengths obtained on the archaeological remains all stayed within the known size ranges of the two species and allowed making inferences on the possible place of capture of the fish. Copyright © 2014 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

For cattle (Bos taurus), age estimations using dental criteria before the eruption of the first molar (3-8 months) have large error margins. This hampers archaeozoological investigation into perinatal mortality or the putative slaughtering of very young calves for milk exploitation. Previous ageing methods for subjuveniles have focused on the length of unfused bones, but it is rarely possible to use them because they are restricted to foetuses and because of the fragmentation of bones. This paper presents new age prediction models based on length, breadth and depth of post cranial bones produced from a dataset of modern calves (n=27). This reference collection was compiled from material of known age at death, sex and breed from collections in Britain, France, Germany and Switzerland. Linear regressionmodels were constructed using themodern data for age prediction, and these models were then successfully tested and assessed using aMiddleNeolithic assemblage of complete calves' skeletons from Bourguignon-Lès-Morey, France. From the assessment, the astragalus and metapodials were determined to be the most reliable bones, and the femur was the worst. Measurements of the epiphyseal and distal elements and depth measurements were the most reliable. For ages before 12months, these models can provide ±1month age estimates. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Archaeological beaver ( Castor fiber) remains from Romanian sites dating from the Mesolithic to the Middle Ages are described in terms of their frequencies (based on the number of identified specimens), morphology and size. A summary of previous archaeozoological studies in the geographical and historical regionalization of the Romanian territory (i.e. Banat, Dobrudja, Moldavia, Muntenia, Oltenia and Transylvania) shows that temporal and regional variation characterizes the assemblages. The data also reveal that beaver hunting contributed little to local economies, although some spatial and temporal variations are apparent and are here compared with the evidence from the historical record. In addition, univariate, bivariate and geometric morphometric analyses are employed to examine different anatomical elements. Studies of the lower third molar (M3) reveal that there is a statistically significant intraspecific variability between the Neolithic and Iron Age populations, situated also in different regions, Muntenia and Moldavia, respectively. Copyright © 2013 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The investigation were carried out on the medieval horses thoracic and lumbar spine excavated between 2009-2011 by the Institute of Archaeology, University of Wroclaw at New Market Square in Wroclaw (Wratislavia, Breslau), capital city of the Polish province of Lower Silesia. The pathological changes, like: ankylosis of the zygapophyses, fusion of the vertebral bodies and arches and the interspinal space calcification were observed. The X-ray examination was done. During medieval artefact interpretation the biomechanical aspect of horse's locomotor system was taken into consideration. The archaeozoological material was compared with modern horse's spine (with similar pathological changes and known history of disease). The analysis proved, that the observed osseous reaction was a result of the long-lasting inflammation. Such a disease appearance accompanies chronic inflammatory state of errector muscles of the spine. It is typical for those horses utilised for the saddle. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

ABSTRACT The recent re-analysis of the Maglemosian faunal assemblages from Mullerup and Lundby Mose (Sjælland) has led to the discovery of new hunting injuries in the Danish Early Mesolithic. In total, including the two cases already published, two examples come from the Lundby Mose site, and seven from Mullerup, including embedded flint fragments and perforations. Such new data emphasise the need for meticulous re-analysis of bone assemblages, relying on experimental work on projectile impacts, in order to increase the number of such discoveries. The link with weapons and hunting techniques and the question of the frequency of projectile impacts during the Danish Mesolithic are discussed, as well as their significance in terms of mobility of human groups, particularly in the case of healed wounds. Copyright © 2012 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

ABSTRACT The large midden site of Offing 2 (southern Chile) has yielded a series of human occupations dating back to 4200-2500 bp. From a very large collection of bird specimens, we sampled over 45 000 bird bones from four taxa ( Diomedea sp., Procellaria sp., Phalacrocorax sp. and Sterna hirundinacea). The distributions of skeletal parts do not contradict the bone density and functional anatomy hypotheses for cormorants and terns, but the observed data for albatross and petrel are less convincing. The presence of most or all elements (except for the terns) indicates that the birds were brought back to the site as complete carcasses. The deficit of some of the long wing bones observed for albatross and petrel is remarkable and may indicate a particular removal for later use as raw material for tools or trade goods. Copyright © 2013 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

ABSTRACT On 31 July 1761, the Utile, a French slave ship from the Compagnie française des Indes, illegally loaded with Malagasy slaves, was shipwrecked on the desert islet of Tromelin. Two months after the disaster, the French crew left the island on a boat constructed from the wreckage and abandoned the slaves. Fifteen years later, Chevalier de Tromelin rescued eight survivors. An archaeological excavation recently conducted by M. Guérout and T. Romon revealed how the forgotten slaves adapted themselves to this hostile environment. The Malagasy survived using natural resources of the islet and material from the Utile. This paper, based on the archaeozoological analysis of almost 18 000 bird bones, focuses on their use of avian resources. The Malagasy survivors captured numerous individuals from a breeding colony of sooty tern Onychoprion fuscatus, as indicated by the presence of medullary bone and immature birds. Cut marks and localised burning at the bone extremities testify to the cooking method used. Under-representation of the bones from the distal extremity of the wing, together with the rare written archives collected after the rescue, give evidence of the utilisation of feathers as raw material. An estimate of the total number of terns and eggs that were collected, compared with historical and modern ornithological observations, allows us to discuss the consequences of human predation on the disappearance of the sooty tern colony from Tromelin Island. Copyright © 2013 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]