ANIMAL BONE ANALYSIS

Animal bones are often one of the most abundant materials recovered from archaeological sites and, where present, form an integral part of many site interpretations.

Identification, analysis and interpretation

The professional identification, analysis and interpretation of animal bone assemblages can offer a unique insight into past human behaviour. Through the identification and quantification of species and anatomical elements, and the age at death, sex, size, butchery and pathology, animal bones can be useful indicators of past:

Diet Hunting regimes Husbandry Animal health Industrial processes, such as horn working and tanning Intra-site social and functional variation Inter-site dynamics in terms of production, consumption and exchange

The level of information retrieved from analyses will be influenced by the quantity and quality of the surviving bone assemblage, by on-site sampling and recovery methods and by context integrity. Consequently, Archaeological Services WYAS offers a range of evaluation and analytical services by skilled in-house personnel to suit the requirements of any given assemblage, including:

• Recommendations for on-site sampling and recovery strategies
• Assessment of potential for further analysis
• Detailed analysis and interpretation
• Written report to archive or publication standard.

Whatever your particular requirements are, Archaeological Services WYAS will be pleased to discuss them and provide a suitable and fully costed programme of analysis.

For further information contact Dr Jane Richardson