The Practice of Zooarchaeology: An Assessment from the International Literature, 1969-1998. Karen M. Mudar

ABSTRACT: A review of papers published in five international journals since 1965 indicates that publications with a zooarchaeological focus make up approximately 20% of the total. The majority of the papers presented methodological or thematic information of interest to a general audience; BAR was the only publication that routinely handled site reports or extensive analyses of regional faunas. Important methodological themes included quantification, taxonomy, taphonomy, and age assessment. The majority of authors was either European (including Israel), American, Australian, or New Zealander. This, no doubt, reflects the degree of national social support for archaeological research and the fact that English is the publication language for three out of the five journals. Asia and South America were noticeably under-represented in the sample. Authorship was male-dominated at the beginning of the study; the sex-ratio was equal at the end of the time period. The publications in this study are the products of an established discipline with well-defined areas of study and goals, that encourage development of new methodologies. The results of the study also suggest that the international journal publications are not sensitive to regional zooarchaeological developments.