engleski

Teaching Archaeozoology at the Faculty of Veterinary Medicine in Zagreb, Croatia

Introduction: At the Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, University of Zagreb (Croatia), we teach archaeozoology as an elective subject from academic year 2005/2006. Veterinary medicine students, who enroll this course in the 4th semester find out that standard archaeozoological analysis isn't easy as one can thought. However, thanks to a solid knowledge of domestic animals osteology from obligatory anatomical classes, students don't have a problem working with bones. Materials and Methods: Due to the impossibility of attending to excavations at archaeological sites, the primary archaeozoological analysis must be done on the previously delivered samples from various Croatian sites. Samples usually contain remains of animal bones, teeth and horns. After washing and drying, students determined bone element, side of the body, taxon, sex and age if it is possible, and recognized pathological and taphonomical changes. Along with anatomical and archaeozoological literature, for comparison students use collection which contains about 350 skeletons of various animal species, mainly domestic and wild mammals, but also birds, reptiles and amphibians. Results: After completing this class, students will be able to get inside the basic archaeozoological methods, determine skeletal elements and taxonomic affiliation, learn to classify animal’s age and sex based on tooth eruption and attrition and long bones epiphysis fusing/unfusing, evaluate animals withers height and biomass. Furthermore, they will be able to recognize basic taphonomical processes on animal bones, recognize and distinguish traces on bones: chewing marks, disarticulation and butchering traces, animal bones and horns processing into tools and ornaments and finally learn to write archaeozoological results and insert it into entire archaeological report. Conclusion: Gathered knowledge from the field of archaeozoology allows students of veterinary medicine better understanding of animal exploitation through ancient cultures and expands the area of their interest. At the same time, it amplify the area of their future employment.

archaeozoology; teaching; veterinary medicine students

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