Offering a field-tested analytic method for identifying faunal remains, along with helpful references, images, and examples of the most commonly encountered North American species, Identifying and Interpreting Animal Bones: A Manual provides an important new reference for students, avocational archaeologists, and even naturalists and wildlife enthusiasts. Using the basic principles outlined here, the bones of any vertebrate animal, including humans, can be identified and their relevance to common research questions can be better understood. Because the interpretation of archaeological sites depends heavily on the analysis of surrounding materials—soils, artifacts, and floral and faunal remains—it is important that non-human remains be correctly distinguished from human bones, that distinctions between domesticated and wild or feral animals be made correctly, and that evidence of the reasons for faunal remains in the site be recognized. But the ability to identify and analyze animal bones is a skill that is not easy to learn from a traditional textbook. In Identifying and Interpreting Animal Bones, veteran archaeologist and educator April Beisaw guides readers through the stages of identification and analysis with sample images and data, also illustrating how specialists make analytical decisions that allow for the identification of the smallest fragments of bone. Extensive additional illustrative material, from the author’s own collected assemblages and from those in the Archaeological Analytical Research Facility at Binghamton University in New York, are also available in the book’s online supplement. There, readers can view and interact with images to further understanding of the principles explained in the text.

The author provides a focused overview of the field, emphasizing how bones are used to study past human-animal interactions.

See what lies beneath an animal's skin! BONE COLLECTION: ANIMALS will feature a wide selection of animal skeletons and informative facts so kids can learn about the anatomy of their favorite animals. Featuring full-color photos and illustrations throughout, it will be just creepy enough to appeal to kids without being scary. From tiny animals like bats to large animals like lions, kids will discover what lies beneath their favorite animal's skin.

Zooarchaeology has emerged as a powerful way of reconstructing the lives of past societies. Through the analysis of animal bones found on a site, zooarchaeologists can uncover important information on the economy, trade, industry, diet, and other fascinating facts about the people who lived there. Animal bones in Australian archaeology is an introductory bone identification manual written for archaeologists working in Australia. This field guide includes 16 species commonly encountered in both Indigenous and historical sites. Using diagrams and flow charts, it walks the reader step-by-step through the bone identification process. Combining practical and academic knowledge, the manual also provides an introductory insight into zooarchaeological methodology and the importance of zooarchaeological research in understanding human behaviour through time.

This manual is the culmination of more than 35 years of skeletal analysis, teaching forensic anthropology and conducting skeletal research at universities and museums in the U.S., Asia, Pacific, Africa, and Europe. While there are many illustrated human osteology and anatomy books available to students and professionals, there is none that approaches the topic of identifying and siding human bones quite like The Bone Book, with its large, annotated color photographs and easy-to-follow steps. Designed for use in either the lab or the field, the book covers the material from top to bottom—from cranium to metatarsals and phalanges—with the help of more than 400 vivid, full-color photographs, clearly annotated to highlight key features. Complex bones, such as the cranium, are shown in multiple photos (including several “exploded” or disarticulated skulls, showing how the complex bones fit together). In addition to the photos, the book offers easy-to-follow instructions and mnemonic tips that guide the reader, step by step, through the process of identifying every individual bone and which side of the body it came from. The Bone Book can be used as a stand-alone reference or as a companion to other sources. Although most of the photos show adult bones, the book also includes helpful photos of subadult bones and even fetal bones, which some forensic cases involve. The Bone Book will contribute to filling a gap in identifying and siding bones more easily and, in that sense, add to the body of anthropological, anatomical, and medical literature. It will be useful to anthropology students, anatomists, surgeons, medical examiners, and others working with the human skeleton.

Ortner's Identification of Pathological Conditions in Human Skeletal Remains, Third Edition, provides an integrated and comprehensive treatment of the pathological conditions that affect the human skeleton. As ancient skeletal remains can reveal a treasure trove of information to the modern orthopedist, pathologist, forensic anthropologist, and radiologist, this book presents a timely resource. Beautifully illustrated with over 1,100 photographs and drawings, it provides an essential text and material on bone pathology, thus helping improve the diagnostic ability of those interested in human dry bone pathology. Presents a comprehensive review of the skeletal diseases encountered in archaeological human remains Includes more than 1100 photographs and line drawings illustrating skeletal diseases, including both microscopic and gross features Based on extensive research on skeletal paleopathology in many countries Reviews important theoretical issues on how to interpret evidence of skeletal disease in archaeological human populations