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4 Zooarchaeological research in Greece from 2010 to date: A review

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  09 March 2023

Dimitra Mylona*
Affiliation:
INSTAP – Study Center for East Crete dmylona@hotmail.com

Abstract

Greek archaeology, and especially prehistory, has been a field of pioneering zooarchaeological research from as early as the first half of the 20th century. The discipline retains this innovative dynamism and actively participates in the international developments that shape its future. This paper takes a critical look at zooarchaeology in Greece and highlights its current trends as they may be teased out from the considerable and multifaceted body of research published since 2010. In comparison to earlier decades, zooarchaeological research in Greece over the last decade has been characterized by the breadth of its achievements and progress in almost every aspect. Institutional representation and zooarchaeological infrastructure in the country, however, still needs enhancing. Overall, though, the presence of a large number of contributing researchers from Greece and abroad, the diffusion of zooarchaeological data across an increasingly wide range of disciplines, and the augmented inclusion of zooarchaeological results in the wider archaeological and historical narratives certainly point towards a promising future.

Information

Type
Archaeology in Greece 2021–2022
Copyright
© The Author(s), 2023. Published by Cambridge University Press on behalf of the Society for the Promotion of Hellenic Studies and the British School at Athens
Figure 0

4.1. Number of zooarchaeological publications per year (2022 only includes publications from January to June). © D. Mylona.

Figure 1

4.2. Number of publications by type of animal remains. The category ‘Microfauna’ includes micro-mammals, reptiles, and amphibians. This graph is based on the number of papers that deal with each animal type. In case of papers where more than one animal type is analysed or discussed, those are counted as more than one. © D. Mylona.

Figure 2

4.3. Articulated animal bones, found in situ with human bones attest to a composite human and animal sacrifice at Kydonia, Crete (ca. 1275 BC). © Kasteli Excavations Archive.

Figure 3

4.4. Archaeological fish bones from Late Bronze Age Mochlos. © Mochlos Excavations Archive.

Figure 4

4.5. Triton shells (Charonia tritonis) from Late Bronze Age Papadiokambos, Crete. © Papadiokambos Excavations Archive (published in Mylona 2019).

Figure 5

4.6. Animal bones from the Sanctuary of Poseidon at Kalaureia (Hellenistic–Early Roman), with cut marks that are related to the treatment of animal carcasses, food preparation, and eating in the sanctuary. © Kalaureia Excavations Archive.

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