Duration
15h Th, 15h Pr
Number of credits
Lecturer
Language(s) of instruction
French language
Organisation and examination
Teaching in the first semester, review in January
Schedule
Units courses prerequisite and corequisite
Prerequisite or corequisite units are presented within each program
Learning unit contents
Archaeozoology studies the relations between man and animals through ages by studying the animal rests found during archaeological excavations (bones, animal mummies, vertebras and fish scales, mollusks, insects, parasites, etc.). Although certain used methods are identical to those of the paleontology (compared anatomy, ostéométry, taphonomy), archeozoology also approaches the other domains such the study of the taming, the human alimentation, the funeral rites or the artistic manifestations.
The main stages of the course will be first of all the recognition and the description of the animal species, then the study of the relations between man and animal species met on a site with the aim of explaining the reason of their presence. Then, we shall be interested in the consequences of the human intervention on the animal species and finally, we shall try to better understand the lifestyle of the human groups (environment, housing environment, lifestyle, demography)
Learning outcomes of the learning unit
At the end of the course, the student will be able to determine the animal species (vertebrates), to estimate the age and to determine the sex, to locate possible pathologies and traces. He will also be able of emitting hypotheses as regards the reasons of the presence of this animal species on an archeological site.
Prerequisite knowledge and skills
Nothing
Planned learning activities and teaching methods
The program plans 15 hours of theoretical lessons and 15 hours of practical class.
The theoretical course will take place in the museum or the osteology room and will include seminaries given by speakers, particularly a seminary concerning mollusks that will give the systematics of the marine and fresh water species and the ground species.
Practical class will be given in the museum of the service of anatomy which possess important reference collections. In the laboratory, the student will have to identify the animal remains to ascertain the species present and the relative frequency of the different taxa and their various body parts. It is also useful to measure the bones to identify specific taxa or to evaluate the size of animals. Then, we'll search for butchery scars and other human, animal, or naturally induced marks on animal bones to reconstruct butchery techniques of butchery and food preparation methods and to better understand the changes that took place in the archaeofaunal collections during and after burial. We'll also try to identify the age and sex of the animals and the season of death to learn about past human hunting, gathering, fishing, or husbandry strategies.
Mode of delivery (face to face, distance learning, hybrid learning)
Recommended or required readings
The power point of the lessons are put on line on e-campus.
Archéozoologie. Les animaux et l'archéologie. Louis Chaix, Patrice Méniel. Editions Errance, Paris, 2001.
The examination will be oral and will include the recognition of bones of animal origin. The student will have his notes of course and the reference collection
Work placement(s)
Organisational remarks and main changes to the course
The course will be given at the first quadrimester, probably on Wednesday afternoon, f this day suits with a majority of registered students, by slices of 3 hours in the service of anatomy of the Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, B43, Sart Tilman. As regards the conferences, the schedule and the place will be specified afterward. The presence in practical class is compulsory.
Contacts
Prof. Annick Gabriel
Bd de Colonster, B43, rez de chaussée
4000 Liège (Sart Tilman)
Tél: 043664060
annick.gabriel@ulg.ac.be