Social zooarchaeology : humans and animals in prehistory / Nerissa Russell.

Includes bibliographical references (p. 401-542) and index.

Beyond protein and calories -- Animal symbols -- Animals in ritual -- Hunting and humanity -- Extinctions -- Domestication as a human-animal relationship -- Pets and other human-animal relationships -- Animal wealth -- Meat beyond diet -- Studying human-animal relations.

"This is the first book to provide an overview and systematic examination of social zooarchaeology, a new approach that takes a holistic veiw of human-animal relations in the past. Until very recently, zooarchaeology was heavily focused on diet and subsistence economy, especially for prehistoric periods. This book argues that animals have always played much broader roles in human societies: as wealth, companions, spirit helpers, socrificial victims, totems, centerpieces of feasts, and objects of taboos, and so on. Exploring the briader significance of ancient animals provides a richer ppicture of past societies, Even those primarily interested in utuilitarian aspects of animal use need to account for that social factors that shaped zooarchaeological assemblages as much as taphonomic processes"-- Provided by publisher.