Why do archaeologists study animal bone?
The study of animal bones from archaeological sites is often referred to as Zooarchaeology or Archaeozoology. A closely related field is Osteoarchaeology, which is the study of any archaeological bone.
Bones from an archaeological site can provide information regarding:
Human behavior (What were the site's inhabitants using animals for?)
Subsistence (What were the site's inhabitants eating?)
Economy (Did the site's inhabitants experience periods of starvation or feasting?)
Environmental changes (Did the water temperature change while the site was inhabited?)
Dating of a site (Was the site inhabited before or after the extinction of a certain species?)
Site formation processes (Did a catastrophic event (flood, volcanic eruption, etc.) lead to the abandonment and/or creation of the site?)
To gain this information, archaeologists:
Identify animal bones, preferably to the species level - species are dateable and habitat specific
Interpret Taphonomy: Identify use wear on ones - butchery marks, rodent gnawing, etc. tells us what happened to the animal after it died and what it was used for