Paleontology and Archaeozoology

Description

Presentation: The Paleontology and Archaeozoology module is an introduction to methods and themes for understanding human-animal relationships in archaeological contexts of the Quaternary and Holocene. Alongside theoretical courses, emphasis is placed on laboratory practical work supervised by specialists. Students work with archaeological and modern faunal collections (comparative collections) within two laboratories: the CEPAM archaeozoology laboratory and the Lazaret departmental Prehistory laboratory. Course coordinators: Emmanuel Desclaux, Lionel Gourichon, Theodoropoulou Tatiana. In-person: 12 hours of lectures, 12 hours of tutorials. Prerequisites: Before the course, I must have basic knowledge in archaeology and Prehistory (undergraduate courses, readings, documentaries, participation in excavations). Watch the video "The professions of archaeology: archaeozoologist" at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gf18E_tw4N4. Objectives: By the end of this course, I should be able to explain the fundamental principles, contributions, and limitations of archaeozoology, archae-ichthyology, archaeomalacology, and Quaternary paleontology methods; recognize anatomical elements of an animal skeleton and place them within the skeleton; calculate a Minimum Number of Individuals (MNI); describe the stages of animal domestication in the Near East and explain the methods used.