Sheffield Zooarchaeology Lab

10/10/2026

Stay tuned as next week we announce a brand new regular segment on our social media channels! What could it be?

You'll have to wait to find out!

09/10/2026

We are delighted to see this new publication by our team members Mauro Rizzetto and Veronica Aniceti (with friends). You can download DUCK TALES FROM VENICE: HUMAN COMMUNITIES AND WATERBIRDS IN THE ROMAN AND MEDIEVAL LAGOON here:
https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1040618226003538?via%3Dihub Sheffield Zooarchaeology Twinning Zooarchaeology Network Sheffield Zooarchaeology Short Course MSc Osteoarchaeology Save Sheffield Archaeology International Council for Archaeozoology - ICAZ

08/10/2026

Thanks to the work of our dear Maeve Moorcroft the Baker & Brothwell' s famous collection of pathological bones can now be viewed online! International Council for Archaeozoology - ICAZ Zooarchaeology Network Save Sheffield Archaeology MSc Osteoarchaeology Sheffield Zooarchaeology Short Course Sheffield Zooarchaeology Twinning

06/10/2026

Alive & Kicking n.74. We are back to our team's work with this paper by Idoia Grau Sologestoa & Umberto Albarella, based on Idoia's postdoc work at Sheffield. Great memories and hopefully a useful output pointing out the importance of the 16th century as a period of livestock improvement, well before the Agricultural Revolution. It builds on the work previously done by Simon Davis, Richard Thomas, and Umberto himself. Sheffield Zooarchaeology Twinning Save Sheffield Archaeology MSc Osteoarchaeology Zooarchaeology Network Sheffield Zooarchaeology Short Course International Council for Archaeozoology - ICAZ

Although many historians have extensively discussed the agricultural history of England between the Late Middle Ages and the Modern Era, this period of crucial changes has received less attention by archaeologists. In this paper, zooarchaeological evidence dated between the Late Middle Ages and the....

04/10/2026

Yesterday we were delighted to host the Professional Zooarchaeology Group (PZG) meeting as part of our RICHeS (see https://www.riches.ukri.org/) activities to make our labs and collections available to the wider heritage community. It was great to see old and new friends and discuss with them topics of common interest. The theme of the day focused on sheep and goats, species whose study Sheffield has a long tradition in. Special thanks to Lenny Salvagno for the organisation Phoebe Liu Angelos Hadjikoumis Jess Waterworth Alison Foster Mary La Chapelle Sheffield Zooarchaeology Twinning Zooarchaeology Network Sheffield Zooarchaeology Short Course MSc Osteoarchaeology Save Sheffield Archaeology International Council for Archaeozoology - ICAZ

28/09/2026

With Alive & Kicking n.73 we return to zooarchaeology proper to showcase this important paper by the Antonio Jakov Tagliacozzo's team, which has illuminated Italian zooarchaeology, and the study of the Palaeolithic in particular, for so many years. This paper is led by Ivana Fiore in collaboration with Monica Gala and Tonino Tagliacozzo himself. Sheffield Zooarchaeology Twinning Zooarchaeology Network Sheffield Zooarchaeology Short Course MSc Osteoarchaeology Save Sheffield Archaeology International Council for Archaeozoology - ICAZ

Italy is very rich in Middle Palaeolithic sites, and the Veneto region ranges among those with the best archaeozoological information. Most of the Middle Palaeolithic sites are located in caves and r...

25/09/2026

This week, during our RICHeS Open Day, we had the pleasure of welcoming two different kinds of animal bone enthusiasts to our Zooarchaeology Collection! 🦴

First up was Josh Toulson from CFA, who arrived with a rather bony mystery on his hands.. a selection of equid bones from a recent excavation, which he hoped we could help identify to species level. 🐴🔍

We were also delighted to welcome Clare Stubbs, a freelance archaeologist, who came along to put her identification skills to test and get acquainted with some of the many animal species in our collection.

That’s what makes our Open Days so much fun: you never quite know who — or what — is going to walk through the door! From researchers bringing fresh excavation material to archaeologists looking to brush up on their skills, our reference collection attracts a wonderfully diverse community of animal bone lovers.

And, of course, we’re always happy to provide the bones for a good day of detective work! 🦴🔎

21/09/2026

Alive & Kicking n.72 takes us beyond zooarchaeology, which is timely considering the increasing militarization of the university and the country. The paper ARCHAEOLOGISTS IN CONFLICT: EMPATHISING WITH WHICH VICTIMS? shows that we have a long history of concern about the collusion between archaeologists and armed conflict and our opposition to the Defence University Alliance (DUA) has deep roots. The paper, focused on the involvement of archaeologists in the invasion of Iraq, also includes a response to a comment from US Army's personnel.
You can download it here:
https://www.researchgate.net/publication/274997791_Archaeologists_in_Conflict_Empathizing_with_Which_Victims
Umberto Albarella Save Sheffield Archaeology Sheffield Zooarchaeology Short Course MSc Osteoarchaeology Sheffield Zooarchaeology Twinning Zooarchaeology Network