The Importance of Zooarchaeological Studies in Sri Lankan Archaeology: An Anthropological Perspective

International Journal of Research and Innovation in Social Science (IJRISS) | Volume IV, Issue VI, June 2020 | ISSN 2454–6186

The Importance of Zooarchaeological Studies in Sri Lankan Archaeology: An Anthropological Perspective

Kalangi Rodrigo
Department of History and Archaeology. University of Ruhuna, Sri Lanka

Abstract—It is still debated in archaeological discourse as to when and where the interaction between humans and animals began. From the time they ate their flesh, to the present, the use of animals for human use can be observed. The primary purpose of Zooarchaeology is to determine the interrelationships between humans and animals through animal bones unearthed from systematic archaeological excavations. Zooarchaeological researches have proved the potentiality of reconstructing or determining the dynamic interrelationships within humans and animals, whether as their prey or domesticated hand for natural and social spaces. Importance of animal bones was recognized by as early as the 1700s, as a discipline of archaeology, it grew the attention focused on the bones preserved within the archaeological sites. Zooarchaeological analysis has addressed questions ranging from human behavioral ecology to the processes of domestication to how animals located in the social realm. Such information causes us to better comprehend the means systems of ancient humanity and their suggestions for such factors as site use, versatility, and life history. The anthropological view of Zooarchaeology has determined to study the way of Interactions between animals and humans in homological perspective; therefore, we can understand the human choice, hunting tactics, and cognitive vision through faunal remains. Sri Lankan zooarchaeological studies dated back to 1930s, when P.E.P. Deraniyagala began the studies of the fossil records of the life phases of Ceylon. Till present, this field has been fostered by a considerable number of scholars. They are actively working on popularizing this subject in the field of archeology in Sri Lanka. An Anthropological perspective would clarify Forager ecology, reconstructing human demography, domestication (morphological and genetic), and animals in human society rather than methodological and biological questions. The study presented here is based on the zooarchaeological remains recovered from the recent excavation campaigns and focuses on the anthropological perspective of faunal analysis.

Keywords—Cultural Ecology, Human Behavioral Ecology, Palaeodemography, Zooarchaeology.

I. INTRODUCTION

As the discipline of archaeology grew in the following centuries, the attention focused on the bones preserved within the archaeological sites also increased. This “ecological perspective” has brought by Binford; an American archaeologist knew for his influential work in “Processual Archaeology”. He has argued that the culture-historical approach of Archaeology reflected the same ‘stamp collecting’ mentality and archeology should move away from art history and antiquarianism (Binford, 1968).

Read More