- Zooarchaeology, Taphonomy, Jews in Medieval and Early Modern Europe, Human-Animal Relationships, Bioarchaeology, Archaeological Science, and 25 moreAnthrozoology, Anthropology of Food, Environmental Archaeology, Cooking and Food Preparation (archaeology), Neolithic Archaeology, Experimental Archaeology, Medieval Archaeology, Human Behavioral Ecology, Medieval Jewish History, Jewish History, History of the Jews, History, Jewish Studies, Archaeology of Religion, Paleobiology, Vertebrate Paleontology, Kosher, Material culture created by, for and about Jews, Osteoarchaeology, Archaeozoology, Social zooarchaeology, Geometric Morphometrics, Stable Isotope Analysis, African Archaeology, and Eastern African Archaeologyedit
- A zooarchaeologist and stable isotope analyst. In my research, I am applying zooarchaeological and isotopic methods t... moreA zooarchaeologist and stable isotope analyst. In my research, I am applying zooarchaeological and isotopic methods to investigate religion and ethnicity in the past, with a particular focus on medieval Jewish communities. My current research project explores food provisioning and subsistence strategies of medieval Zanzibar through zooarchaeological and stable isotope (δ13C from collagen and carbonates, δ15N, δ34S) analysis of marine and terrestrial fauna.edit
- Michelle Alexanderedit
The paper presents the results of osteological, typological, and microwear analyses of Neolithic bone tools recovered from Kopydlowo, site 6 (Greater Poland Province, Poland). The site is known for a pit with a number of bovine horn... more
The paper presents the results of osteological, typological, and microwear analyses of Neolithic bone tools recovered from Kopydlowo, site 6 (Greater Poland Province, Poland). The site is known for a pit with a number of bovine horn cores, a presumable refuse from Neolithic horn working. A multi-aspect analysis revealed the kinds of raw materials used for the production of bone tools and provided insights into how the specimens were worked and used. Twenty-nine out of 36 tools were identified to taxon. All artefacts were made from mammal bones, mostly cattle, sheep/goat, red deer, and pig. Awls and perforators, used to work with a soft organic material, were the most common tool types at the site. Some scrapers and polishers for hide working, as well as spatulae, a T-shaped axe, a chisel, a pendant, and pieces of raw material were also found. The presence of two tools made from wild mammals’ bones may possibly contribute to the discussion on contacts between farmers and hunter-gathe...
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Research Interests: Geography, Archaeology, Zooarchaeology, Early Medieval Archaeology, Medieval Archaeology, and 15 moreMetal Finds (Archaeology), Poland, Pottery, Pomerania, Middle Ages, Archeozoology, Paganism and Christianism, Slavic Archaeology, Excavation, Christianisation of Central and Eastern Europe in the Early Middle Ages, Archaeology Of The Migration Period And The Early Middle Ages, Early Medieval And Medieval Settlement Archaeology, Early medieval pottery, Pre-Christian Slavic Religion, and Pottery Archaeology
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Spatial analysis is paramount for understanding, monitoring, and conserving ancient settlements and cultural landscapes. Advancing remote sensing and prospection techniques are expanding the methodological frame of archaeological... more
Spatial analysis is paramount for understanding, monitoring, and conserving ancient settlements and cultural landscapes. Advancing remote sensing and prospection techniques are expanding the methodological frame of archaeological settlement analysis by enabling remote, landscape‐scale approaches to mapping and investigation. Whilst particularly effective in arid lands and areas with sparse or open ground cover, such as vegetation and buildings, these approaches remain peripheral in tropical environments because of technical and contextual challenges. In tropical Eastern Africa, for example, scales, resolution and visibility are often compromised by thick vegetation cover, inadequate access to, if not lack of, imagery resources and technologies, and the availability of comparative archaeological data for interpretation. This paper presents the initial results of spatial analysis, using historic landscape characterisation, remote sensing, published and legacy data, and a pilot ground ...
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In 2011, a large scale rescue excavation on the open site of Widziszewo 17, Greater Poland province, Poland, uncovered a large number of archaeological features dated to a variety of periods. Most of the features, due to severe... more
In 2011, a large scale rescue excavation on the open site of Widziszewo 17, Greater Poland province, Poland, uncovered a large number of archaeological features dated to a variety of periods. Most of the features, due to severe post-depositional taphonomic effects on the bones, yielded none or a very scarce number of osteoarchaeological remains. However, in one of the medium sized pits, feature 284, dated to the Middle/Late Neolithic Globular Amphora Culture, the excavation uncovered an extraordinary deposit of a few hundred identifiable bone fragments, including numerous complete long bones. The specimens were deposited randomly, in a tight cluster at the bottom of the pit. Cooperation between field archaeologists and an animal bone specialist resulted in the careful excavation and the accurate recording of the specimens using orthophotographic plans, which supported the subsequent zooarchaeological analysis. The excavated deposit consisted mainly of pig (Sus domesticus) remains, with only a small number of specimens from other species. Pigs were represented mostly by large fragments of bone or complete anatomical elements, and the analysis showed that whole limbs and large chunks of the carcass of at least six individuals were disarticulated and deposited in the pit. Investigations of the anatomical composition and taphonomic history of the assemblage, supported by bone refitting, allowed the recognition of distinctive patterns of butchery activity, cooking, and marrow extraction of certain parts of the pig carcass. Investigations of the dispersal of the remains provided an insight into their depositional history. Results lead to the suggestion that pig bones from feature 284 are remnants of the deliberate and regulated consumption of certain parts of pig carcass, which can be connected to a standardised feasting activity.
Key words: Neolithic, Poland, Globular Amphora Culture, zooarchaeology, taphonomy, Sus domesticus, feasting.
Key words: Neolithic, Poland, Globular Amphora Culture, zooarchaeology, taphonomy, Sus domesticus, feasting.
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The paper presents the results from the analysis of a small assemblage of horn cores and crania from three species: cattle (Bos taurus), aurochs (Bos primigenius), and goat (Capra hircus). These remains are a part of a larger... more
The paper presents the results from the analysis of a small assemblage of horn cores and crania from three species: cattle (Bos taurus), aurochs (Bos primigenius), and goat (Capra hircus). These remains are a part of a larger osteoarchaeological assemblage excavated on the Early/Middle Neolithic site of Kopydłowo 6, Kuyavia province, Poland. Crania and horn cores were scattered across the three main archaeological features, but most of them were deposited in a distinct manner in one of the pits. Excavations in the pit uncovered an unusual deposit of eleven horn cores from six individuals of domestic cattle and aurochs, and four horn cores from three goats, stocked on a pile in the bottom of the pit. Horn cores had most of the crania removed, some in a distinct way, and several bore numerous cut and chop marks left by dividing and careful skinning of cranium, and removing of horn sheaths. Based on taphonomic analysis it can be argued, that assemblage of horn cores and crania from Kopydłowo 6 is an example of one the oldest documented processing of hides and horn sheaths in Poland.
Key words: Neolithic, Poland, zooarchaeology, taphonomy, horn cores, Bos taurus, Bos primigenius, Capra hircus.
Key words: Neolithic, Poland, zooarchaeology, taphonomy, horn cores, Bos taurus, Bos primigenius, Capra hircus.
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ROZSZERZONE i UAKTUALNIONE WYNIKI BADAŃ KOŚCI ze STANOWISKA w KOPYDŁOWIE są ZAWARTE w PUBLIKACJI z 2015 ROKU: https://www.academia.edu/32778127/Materia%C5%82y_zooarcheologiczne_ze_stanowiska_6_w_Kopyd%C5%82owie
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The thesis addresses the question of detecting traces of Jewish presence in the zooarchaeological record. It discusses the cultural aspects of meat provisioning adopted by the medieval and early modern Jewish communities in Polish and... more
The thesis addresses the question of detecting traces of Jewish presence in the zooarchaeological record. It discusses the cultural aspects of meat provisioning adopted by the medieval and early modern Jewish communities in Polish and Czech lands. Two indicators of Jewish presence in zooarchaeology are discussed: the presence/absence of the bones of non-kosher animals (especially pig) and the hindlimbs of cattle and caprine. The evidence suggests that both indicators can successfully contribute to detecting the Jewish footprint in animal bone assemblages. However, they are not as straightforward as previously thought, and need to be supplemented with other lines of evidence, as well as interpreted in their broader archaeological and historical contexts. Most crucial is a thorough analysis of the religious, historical, and ethnographic aspects of porging practice—a butchery activity essential for producing kosher meat—and its detection on bones. The study presented here reveals the occurrence of porging on bones from the Middle Ages and early modern period, and discusses their possible uses. Further zooarchaeological analyses show regional and temporal differences in Jewish meat provisioning and consumption connected to wealth and possibly local traditions. The thesis also discusses the issue of observance and transgression of the dietary rules in the Middle Ages and early modern period and their impact on Jewish identity, as demonstrated through zooarchaeological analysis.
Keywords: zooarchaeology, taphonomy, butchery studies, ethnozooarchaeology, Jews, religion, Judaism, Poland, Silesia, Czech Republic, Bohemia, Middle Ages, early modern age
Keywords: zooarchaeology, taphonomy, butchery studies, ethnozooarchaeology, Jews, religion, Judaism, Poland, Silesia, Czech Republic, Bohemia, Middle Ages, early modern age