Proceedings of the First Zooarchaeology Conference in Portugal

Held at the Faculty of Letters, University of Lisbon, 8th-9th March 2012This volume comprises 15 articles - the result of presentations made at the first International Conference on Zooarchaeology which took place in Lisbon in 2012. This meeting was attended by researchers - PhD students, archaeologists, biologists and zooarchaeologists - studying animal remains from Portugal's past. The papers in this book comprise a wide range of themes and include material from various periods; the common denominator being their Lusitanian origin. The articles describe faunal remains dating from the Paleolithic to modern times and from various aspects, some purely zooarchaeological, others archaeological and combine a spectrum of methods of study, classical osteology/zooarchaeology, ancient DNA, and even written sources. The volume starts with an article about Paleolithic artefacts, followed by articles about Mesolithic Muge and Algarve and ends the prehistoric period with a discussion about Bronze age animal remains. The Roman period is also well represented as the Medieval and Modern periods, both with specific site-studies and other more wide-ranging ones that summarize work carried out in specific geographical areas. The volume finishes with an article about the situation of Zooarchaeology as a profession and scientific area of study in present-day Portugal. Here we are presented with the latest results from the younger generation of Portuguese zooarchaeologists as well as several more experienced in this field. With this small volume it is hoped to put Portuguese zooarchaeology 'onthe map'.