The Archaeozoology laboratory develops and intertwines both tasks of education and research.
In this sense, members of our laboratory are in charge of teaching the archaeozoology program of the Bioarcheology subject in the Degree in Archaeology of the Autonomous University of Barcelona. Similarly, the archaeozoology laboratory takes care of the archaeozoology program of the Bioarcheology subject in the Official master’s degree in Prehistoric Archaeology and Antiquity and the Middle Ages (Specialization in Prehistoric Archeology). Both programs include an introduction to archaeozoology, methods and techniques used, and practical training in taxonomic and anatomic identification of animal remains, taphonomy, animal paleopathology, and identification of anthropogenic markers on animal bone remains (butchery marks, tool fabrication, etc).
You can look into the archaeozoology program of the Archaeology Degree here. The details about the archaeozoology program of the Official master’s degree in Prehistoric Archaeology and Antiquity and the Middle Ages (Specialization in Prehistoric Archeology) can be found here.
The Archaeozoology laboratory is also developing its research and formation program in archaeology through the excavation of several archaeological sites. Among the diferent sites that the laboratory is working on, the neolithic and bronze age site of “la Dou”, in la Vall d’en Bas, Garrotxa region in Catalonia, is part of the UAB Archaeology and Palaeontology Campus program. The students can choose this site to complete the practical program of the subject “Methods and Techniques in the Field of Prehistoric Archaeology”.
You can find the program of the subject Methods and Techniques in the Field of Prehistoric Archaeology here.
The Archaeozoology laboratory has a solid framework that facilitates the development of lines of research and contributes to the theoretical, methodological and technical progress in Archaeozoology.
It’s currently developing several research projects in archaeology and archeozoology funded by the respective Culture and Research departments of the Catalan and Spanish governments, European Union research programs and private non-profit organizations.
Our research revolves around the development of knowledge regarding differents historical problematics, such as the origin and consolidation of peasant societies in the Mediterranean, with special emphasis on the processes of animal domestication, the dynamics of animal resources management in American hunter-gatherer societies, the exploitation of coastal resources, and the study of animal management in protohistoric and historical chronologies, among others.
The laboratory is also focused in developing leading techniques and new methodologies to archaeozoological research, including the use stable isotope analysis, ZooMS and other spectrometry techniques, biomechanics and bone microstructure, to help create solid historical hypothesis.
The combination of strong basic archaeozoology foundations with specialization in leading techniques is the main motto of the Archaeozoology laboratory.
You can find more about our research work in the Research section of this webpage and on the personal profiles of the laboratory members in the About us section.