As part of the Distinguished Virtual Seminar Series in Archaeological Science, the Cranfield Forensic Institute will host Dr Annelise Binois-Roman for a talk entitled:
Healing Ancient Animals – Investigating Past Veterinary Care Through Archaeological Remains
Ever since the first dog of Paleolithic times, humans have lived alongside domestic animals, be they reared for their meat, their strength, or their companionship. The paleopathological analysis of their remains bear witness to the fact that these animals occasionally fell ill or got injured, and the current advances of ancient DNA studies allows increasing insight into the pathogens that plagued them.
These analytical methods do not, however, provide any evidence on whether these sick animals were cared for by their human owners, and on what measures were taken to ensure their health. To address this issue, this presentation explores how past human intervention on animal health can be documented in archaeology, and how a thorough zooarchaeological analysis of animal skeletons can start to provide a glimpse of the vast history of veterinary medicine.
