This book examines bird remains in archaeology and anthropology and provides a thorough review of the literature on this topic whilst also serving as a guide to the methods of study of bird remains from the past. It covers a wide range of topics, including anatomy and osteology, taphonomy, eggs, feathers and bone tools.
The author examines the myriad ways in which people have interacted with birds in the past. She includes discussion on the consumption of wild birds, the domestication of birds, cockfighting and falconry, birds in ritual and religion, and the role of birds in ecological reconstruction, providing an up-to-date survey of current knowledge on these topics.
2. Biology, behaviour and anatomy;
3. Ageing, sexing and pathology with Tony Waldron;
4. Identification, recording and quantification;
5. Taphonomy: natural changes and recovery;
6. Taphonomy: human modifications and element survival;
7. Eggs and eggshell;
8. Feathers, skins and other products;
9. Tools and ornaments;
10. Wild birds as food;
11. The domestic chicken;
12. Other domestic birds;
13. Sport and pleasure;
14. Birds in symbol and ritual;
15. Birds in the environment;
16. Conclusions and outstanding questions.
Dale Serjeantson is a Research Fellow in Archaeology in the School of Humanities, University of Southampton, UK.
...a thorough review of the literature on this topic, it also serves as a guide to the methods of study of bird remains from the past and covers a wide range of topics, including anatomy and osteology, taphonomy, eggs, feathers, and bone tools. The Birdbooker Report "... interesting and well-researched book... Birds will be a valuable resource for interested advanced students studying ornithology, anthropology, paleontology, and archaeology/zooarchaeology." D.A. Brass, Choice Magazine