Taphonomy studies the transition of organic matter from the biosphere into the geological record. It is particularly relevant to zooarchaeologists and paleobiologists, who analyse organic remains in the archaeological record in an attempt to reconstruct hominid subsistence patterns and paleoecological conditions. In this user-friendly, encyclopedic reference volume for students and professionals, R. Lee Lyman, a leading researcher in taphonomy, reviews the wide range of analytical techniques used to solve particular zooarchaeological problems, illustrating these in most cases with appropriate examples. He also covers the history of taphonomic research and its philosophical underpinnings. Logically organised and clearly written, the book is an important update on all previous publications on archaeological faunal remains.

One of the first interdisciplinary discussions of taphonomy (the study of how fossil assemblages are formed) and paleoecology (the reconstruction of ancient ecosystems), this volume helped establish these relatively new disciplines. It was originally published as part of the influential Prehistoric Archeology and Ecology series. "Taphonomy is plainly here to stay, and this book makes a first class introduction to its range and appeal."—Anthony Smith, Interdisciplinary Science Reviews

Taphonomic bias is a pervasive feature of the fossil record. A pressing concern, however, is the extent to which taphonomic processes have varied through the ages. It is one thing to work with a biased data set and quite another to work with a bias that has changed with time. This book includes work from both new and established researchers who are using laboratory, field and data-base techniques to characterise and quantify the temporal and spatial variation in taphonomic bias. It may not provide all the answers but it will at least shed light on the right questions.

Taphonomic studies are a major methodological advance, the effects of which have been felt throughout archaeology. Zooarchaeologists and archaeobotanists were the first to realise how vital it was to study the entire process of how food enters the archaeological record, and taphonomy brought to a close the era when the study of animal bones and plant remains from archaeological sites were regarded mainly as environmental indicators. This volume is indicative of recent developments in taphonomic studies: hugely diverse research areas are being explored, many of which would have been totally unforeseeable only a quarter of a century ago.

Some taphonomic investigations on reindeer (Rangifer tarandus groenlandicus) in West Greenland / Kerstin Pasda -- Magnitude of faunal accumulations by carnivores and humans in the South American Andes / Mariana Mondini -- Anthropogenic versus non-anthropogenic bird bone assemblages : new criteria for their distinction / Véronique Laroulandie -- Owls, diurnal raptors, and humans : signatures on avian bones / Zbigniew Bochenski -- Predator bias and fluctuating prey populations / Jim Williams -- Taphonomic consequences of the use of bones as fuel : experimental data and archaeological applications / Sandrine Costamagno [and others] -- Taphonomic influences on cremation burial deposits : implications for interpretation / Fay Worley -- Microfossils in camelid dung : taphonomic considerations for the archaeological study of agriculture and pastoralism / M. Alejandra Korstanje -- Why ancient DNA research needs taphonomy / Eva-Maria Geigl -- Bone density variation between similar animals and density variation in early life : implications for future taphonomic analysis / Robert Symmons -- Contribution to knowledge of the Pleistocene mammal-bearing deposits of the territory of Siracusa (southeastern Sicily) / Corrado Marziano and Salvatore Chilardi -- Using comparative micromammal taphonomy to test palaeoecological hypotheses : ʻUbeidiya, a Lower Pleistocene site in the Jordan Valley, Israel, as a case study / Miriam Belmaker -- Fragments of information : preliminary taphonomic results from the middle Palaeolithic breccia layers of Misliya Cave, Mount Carmel, Israel / Guy Bar-Oz [and others] -- Bone weathering and food procurement strategies : assessing the reliability of our behavioural inferences / Nellie Phoca-Cosmetatou -- Social changes in the early European Neolithic : a taphonomy perspective / Arkadiusz Marciniak.

Everything that amateur and professional fossil hunters will ever need to know about modern palaeontological techniques and practice.