From 1974 to the present, the Institute of Classical Archaeology at the
University of Texas at Austin has carried out archaeological excavations
in the ancient territory (chora) of Metaponto, now located in the modern
province of Basilicata on the southern coast of Italy. This wide-ranging
investigation, which covers a number of sites and a time period ranging
from prehistory to the Roman Empire, has unearthed a wealth of new
information about the ancient rural economy in southern Italy. These
discoveries will be published in a multi-volume series titled The Chora
of Metaponto. This volume on archaeozoology--the study of animal
remains from archaeological sites--is the second in the series,
following The Chora of Metaponto: The Necropoleis (1998).
Archaeozoology at Pantanello and Five Other Sites describes the animal
remains found throughout Metaponto and discusses what they reveal about
ancient practices of hunting and herding, domestication and importation
of new breeds, people's attitudes toward animals, and what animal
remains indicate about past environments. A chapter devoted to bird
bones, which are a relatively rare find because of their fragility,
provides high quality information on the environment and methods of
fowling, as well as on the beliefs and symbolism associated with birds.
The final chapter covers tools--some simple, others sophisticated and
richly decorated--made from animal bones.
