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Archaeozoology
Prof. Tamar Dayan (Department of Life Sciences) Archaeozoological work is done in the Zoology Department of Tel Aviv University by Prof. Tamar Dayan and graduate students working under her supervision. Animal bones found in ancient settlements tell us, of course, about people's meat-eating habits—what kinds of animals they favoured, which parts they preferred and how they discarded refuse. A higher proportion of cattle, for example, generally indicates an economy more disposed to plow farming than to sheep and goat herding. But animal bones can also tell us about seasonality of occupation, processes of domestication and types of utilization. High proportions of bones of young males among sheep and goats, for example, indicate that females were allowed to live longer for milking, while males were slaughtered as soon as they reached the maximum size for eating. |