Scarlet macaws are native to tropical forests ranging from the Gulf Coast and southern regions of Mexico to Bolivia, but they are present at numerous archaeological sites in the U.S. Southwest and Mexican Northwest. Although these birds have been noted and marveled at through the decades, new syntheses of early excavations, new analytical methods, and new approaches to understanding the past now allow us to explore the significance and distribution of scarlet macaws to a degree that was previously impossible. Birds of the Sun explores the many aspects of macaws, especially scarlet macaws, that have made them important to Native peoples living in this region for thousands of years. Leading experts discuss the significance of these birds, including perspectives from a Zuni author, a cultural anthropologist specializing in historic Pueblo societies, and archaeologists who have studied pre-Hispanic societies in Mesoamerica and the U.S. Southwest and Mexican Northwest. Chapters examine the highly variable distribution and frequency of macaws in the past, their presence on rock art and kiva murals, the human experience of living with and transporting macaws, macaw biology and life history, and what skeletal remains suggest about the health of macaws in the past. Experts provide an extensive, region-by-region analysis, from early to late periods, of what we know about the presence, health, and depositional contexts of macaws and parrots, with specific case studies from the Hohokam, Chaco, Mimbres, Mogollon Highlands, Northern Sinagua, and Casas Grandes regions, where these birds are most abundant. The expertise offered in this stunning new volume, which includes eight full color pages, will lay the groundwork for future research for years to come. Contributors Katelyn J. Bishop Patricia L. Crown Samantha Fladd Randee Fladeboe Patricia A. Gilman Thomas K. Harper Michelle Hegmon Douglas J. Kennett Patrick D. Lyons Charmion R. McKusick Ben A. Nelson Stephen Plog José Luis Punzo Díaz Polly Schaafsma Christopher W. Schwartz Octavius Seowtewa Christine R. Szuter Kelley L. M. Taylor Michael E. Whalen Peter M. Whiteley

Birds is the first book to examine bird remains in archaeology and anthropology. Providing a thorough review of the literature on this topic, it also serves as a guide to the methods of study of bird remains from the past and covers a wide range of topics, including anatomy and osteology, taphonomy, eggs, feathers, and, bone tools. Dale Serjeantson is a Research Fellow in Archaeology in the School of Humanities, University of Southampton, UK. She is the co-author, with Alan Cohen, of Manual for the Identification of Bird Bones from Archaeological Sites and has contributed papers on birds and other zooarchaeological topics in journals and popular magazines. She is an Associate Editor of the International Journal of Osteoarchaeology and a member of the Institute of Field Archaeologists, the Society of Antiquaries of Scotland, the Association for Environmental Archaeology, and L'homme et l'animal: Societié de recherche interdisciplinaire.

Shows how archaeologists gain knowledge about past ontologies, and explores the role that birds played in Bronze Age economy, ritual and religion.

This volume comprises the papers presented at the 6th Meeting of the ICAZ Bird Working Group, held in August 2008 in Groningen, the Netherlands. The subjects of the contributions range from New Zealand, South America and the Near East to Europe and vary in time from the Pleistocene up to the late 19th century. Themes discussed are the palaeozoogeography of birds, the role of birds in subsistence, ritual and symbolism, bird hunting techniques and histological studies of bird bones. The geographical, temporal and thematic variation underlines the importance of ornito-archaeozoology for all aspects of archaeology.

Vogelknochenbestimmung - Methodik - Archäozoologie.

Birds pervaded the ancient world, impressing their physical presence on the daily experience and imaginations of ordinary people and figuring prominently in literature and art. They provided a fertile source of symbols and stories in myths and folklore and were central to the ancient rituals of augury and divination. Jeremy Mynott's Birds in the Ancient World illustrates the many different roles birds played in culture: as indicators of time, weather and the seasons; as a resource for hunting, eating, medicine and farming; as domestic pets and entertainments; and as omens and intermediaries between the gods and humankind. We learn how birds were perceived - through quotations from well over a hundred classical Greek and Roman authors, all of them translated freshly into English, through nearly 100 illustrations from ancient wall-paintings, pottery and mosaics, and through selections from early scientific writings, and many anecdotes and descriptions from works of history, geography and travel. Jeremy Mynott acts as a stimulating guide to this rich and fascinating material, using birds as a prism through which to explore both the similarities and the often surprising differences between ancient conceptions of the natural world and our own. His book is an original contribution to the flourishing interest in the cultural history of birds and to our understanding of the ancient cultures in which birds played such a prominent part.