The archaeology of animal bones.

The archaeology of animal bones. TERRY O'CONNOR. The archaeology of animal bones, ix+206 pages,56 figures, 23 tables. 2000. Stroud: Sutton; 0-75092251-6 hardback30[pounds sterling]. `To review the whole field [archaeological animal bone studies], including methods, analysis and interpretation, would require a stoutbook' O'CONNOR 1996:6 The archaeology of animal bones, while perhaps not quite`stout', is a very comprehensive textbook, detailing the proceduresof data recovery and interpretation of animal bone assemblages fromarchaeological sites. The chapters follow a logical thematic sequence,beginning with the basics of bone structure and the function of thevertebrate skeleton and moving on to issues of identification,taphonomy ta��phon��o��my?n.1. The study of the conditions and processes by which organisms become fossilized.2. The conditions and processes of fossilization. , palaeopathology and estimation of age at death. Thestatistical side of the discipline comes to the fore in the sections onmetrical met��ri��cal?adj.1. Of, relating to, or composed in poetic meter: metrical verse; five metrical units in a line.2. Of or relating to measurement. variation and quantification, of which the latter is a veryimportant, although controversial, aspect of animal bone studies.Current research topics and technical papers are referenced throughoutand both these and the case studies presented are drawn from all partsof the world. However, the author's view, that `doing animalbones' is more than just the sum of these practical methods that hedescribes, is also clearly expressed throughout the book. The text is written in a lively style that reads well and it isinterspersed with droll droll?adj. droll��er, droll��estAmusingly odd or whimsically comical.n. ArchaicA buffoon.[French dr?le, buffoon, droll, from Old French drolle remarks. There is also the occasionaletymological et��y��mo��log��i��cal? also et��y��mo��log��icadj.Of or relating to etymology or based on the principles of etymology.et digression and literary quote, both of which enrich andlighten the text. The personal manner extends to the case studies andexamples used, with York and Caerleon (sites on which O'Connor hasundertaken extensive work and research) featuring regularly. It isunfortunate, therefore, especially given that this is a discipline thatrelies much on visual recognition, that the illustrations are limited innumber and often of poor quality. The problem with the book, however, is not the quality(illustrations excepting), but rather the need for such a publication.There are already a surprising number of general textbooks, withmatching titles, that cover this ground. The early works of Cornwall(1956), Ryder (1968) and Chaplin (1971) are certainly dated but thesehave been succeeded by the publications of Rackham (1994) and Davis(1997), to which yet another was added in 1999 by Reitz & Wing. Thislast, rather hefty book, expands the Cambridge Archaeological Manualseries which already includes zooarchaeological texts dealingspecifically with teeth, fish, shells and vertebrate taphonomy, althoughthe series does tend to have an American bias. Naturally, in each ofthese books the emphasis placed on different aspects of the subjectvaries depending on the individual interests and experiences of therespective authors, but their basic content and layout are akin to oneanother, i.e. methods and archetypal case studies. The need, therefore,to outline and explain the `why', rather than the `how' ofanimal bone studies, as O'Connor states as the aim of his book, hassurely been met already. It would seem that the real need is for apractical guide. If handled appropriately such a publication would notnecessarily have to be didactic in style, but could outline the stepsfor recording animal bone assemblages and present the statisticaloptions suitable to interrogate the data accumulated. It could include acollation COLLATION, descents. A term used in the laws of Louisiana. Collation -of goods is the supposed or real return to the mass of the succession, which an heir makes of the property he received in advance of his share or otherwise, in order that such property may be divided, together with the of references for the disparate and often obscure manuals thatdistinguish closely related species (especially birds), a compilation ofthe particulars of quantification methods used by a number ofestablished zooarchaeologists, as well as a system for correlating andcomparing different ageing methods. Another methodological issue whichcould be addressed and which O'Connor also raises, is thesystematic recording of pathologies and nonmetrical traits (e.g., thecongenital absence of the lower second permanent premolar premolar/pre��mo��lar/ (P) (-mo��ler)1. see under tooth.2. situated in front of the molar teeth.pre��mo��larn. , reduced orabsent hypoconulid of the lower third molar and the frequency ofperforations on the posterior part of cattle skulls). Despite this, it has to be said that The archaeology of animalbones is an excellent textbook on zooarchaeology. It is informative,enjoyable to read and up-to-date. It is also suffused withO'Connor's enthusiasm and passion for the subject whichconveys to the reader the potential discoveries, as well as thefrustrations, that studying animal bones can entail. References CHAPLIN, R.E. 1971. The study of animal bones from archaeologicalsites. London: Seminar Press. CORNWALL, I.W. 1956. Bones for the archaeologist. London: PhoenixHouse. DAVIS, S.J.M. 1995. The archaeology of animals. London: Batsford. O'CONNOR, T. 1996. A critical overview of archaeologicalanimal bone studies, World Archaeology 28(1): 5-19. RACKHAM, J. 1994. Animal bones. Berkeley (CA): University ofCalifornia The University of California has a combined student body of more than 191,000 students, over 1,340,000 living alumni, and a combined systemwide and campus endowment of just over $7.3 billion (8th largest in the United States). Press/British Museum. REITZ, E.J. & E.S. WING. 1999. Zooarchaeology. Cambridge:Cambridge University Press Cambridge University Press (known colloquially as CUP) is a publisher given a Royal Charter by Henry VIII in 1534, and one of the two privileged presses (the other being Oxford University Press). . Cambridge Manuals in Archaeology. RYDER, M.L. 1968. Animal bones in archaeology. Oxford: Blackwell. EMILY MURRAY Department of Ancient History & ArchaeologyUniversity of Birmingham Due to Birmingham's role as a centre of light engineering, the university traditionally had a special focus on science, engineering and commerce, as well as coal mining. It now teaches a full range of academic subjects and has five-star rating for teaching and research in several e.v. murray@bham.ac.uk