Zooarchaeology studies how cultures around the world and throughout human history have used animal symbols, eaten the meat of animals, and exchanged animal products economically. Some of #2023MMM's contestants have a long history of interaction with human beings! #WLCrittersClass
From Cooper!
1/11 The golden eagle can be found in North America, Asia, Europe, and parts of northern Africa (“Golden Eagle” 2011), and is found in the archaeological record throughout the world for thousands of years! (Price 2023) (“Golden Eagle” 2023). #WLCrittersClass#2023MMM
2/11 Golden eagle bones with evidence of cut marks indicating removal of their feathers, claws, and talons have been found at 26 Neanderthal-associated sites in Europe, dating back 130,000 years! (Price 2023, “The Feather Atlas” 2023). #WLCrittersClass#2023MMM
3/11: A 600-year old golden eagle sculpture was recently found at the Templo Mayor in Mexico City, formerly the Aztec city of Tenochtitlan. In Aztec mythology, it was believed that the golden eagle was present at the birth of the sun (Davis-Marks 2023). #WLCrittersClass#2023MMM
Side note: #WLCrittersClass is not officially affiliated with the #2023MMM team so any errors in format, content, etc that we make are on us, not them!
Now back to Cooper's narration.
4/11: In the Altai Mountains of western Mongolia, the Kazakh people train golden eagles to hunt foxes and other small game animals. This custom is traditionally passed from father to son at a young age (Thomas 2021). #WLCrittersClass#2023MMM
5/11 5/11: A golden eagle is often seen in Greek mythology with Zeus as his personal messenger and companion (“EAGLE OF ZEUS” 2023). This eagle can be seen in the constellation Aquila, which is shaped like an eagle (“Aquila Constellation” 2023). #WLCrittersClass#2023MMM
1/x And now for our last student #zooarchaeology thread of the night, the Greater Rhea! The following thread is by Anne Charlotte R. #WLCrittersClass#2023MMM
Pretend these are definitely rheas in the gif.
2/x Two species of rhea, Rhea americana (greater rhea) and Rhea pennata (lesser rhea), inhabit
South America. R. Americana ranges from Bolivia to Paraguay & Brazil. (Abbona, et. al.) #WLCrittersClass#2023MMM
3/x The ranges of these two species of Rhea overlap in Patagonia, & the osteological morphology
of these two birds is very similar. This makes it difficult to identify bone fragments down to the
species level. (Abbona, et. al.) #WLCrittersClass #2023MMM
Welcome back to the #zooarchaeology subtweets from #WLCrittersClass, (Critters, Monsters, & Vermin: Human-Animal Relationships & Social Zooarchaeology, SOAN 291F)! Tonight we'll be bringing you the zooarch of Striped Hyena and the Greater Rhea! #2023MMM
2/x Our first #zooarchaeology thread of the night comes from Manuela Z. and focuses on the Striped Hyena! Narration by Manuela. #2023MMM#WLCrittersClass
(This gif may not be the right hyena, sorry.)
3/x The striped hyena (Hyaena hyaena) is a mammal that is part of the Hyaenidae family, [which is part of the Carnivora suborder Feliformia!!]. They are native to Northern and Eastern Africa, the Middle East, India, & Asia (the Caucasus & S Siberia). #2023MMM#WLCrittersClass
1/x? And WE'RE BACK from #WLCrittersClass with more #zooarchaeology to coincide with #2023MMM! (Note: we are not officially affiliated so all errors are our fault.) Get ready for more golden eagle and maybe a few others chiming in independently tonight! #TeamGoldenEagle
3/x Golden eagle bones were found at the Templo Mayor in an offering box from c. 1500 AD. They were adorned with copper and gold jewelry and were most likely used in rituals or as ceremonial offerings to the gods (Arbuckle and McCarty 2014). #WLCrittersClass#2023MMM
2/x #2023MMM#WLCrittersClass The wolverine (Gulo gulo) is found in N America & N Eurasia. Wolverines were historically found in more southern areas of Europe, but this changed due to humans, as we’ll see at the site of Dolní Věstonice I!
3/x #WLCrittersClass#2023MMM
Dolní Věstonice I is one of the most significant localities known from southern Moravia belonging to the Pavlovian culture (29-25kya), a local variant of the Upper Paleolithic Gravettian culture. Excavations began there in 1924.
1/x And now for student #zooarchaeology thread #2 for tonight's Mighty Stripes battles: #TEAMWILDCAT which should have gone last week but I told the student THAT OBVIOUSLY THEY WOULD WIN so she could wait until next week. Ooops. Thread by Taylor M. #WLCrittersClass#2023MMM
2/x My beloved combatant for #2023MMM is the wildcat (Felis silvestris silvestris) AKA the European Wildcat. It’s the FIERCEST animal of the Mighty Stripes! Archaeological evidence from Cyprus and Göbekli Tepe reveal more about their significance. #WLCrittersClass
3/x #2023MMM#WLCrittersClass The Felis genus first appeared ~3.4 million years ago. Felis sylvestris is NOT the wild ancestor of domesticated cats, which came from the African wildcat, Felis lybica. The skull below is Felis lybica (citation in AltTxt).
2/? The striped dolphin (Stenella coeruleoalba) has the largest range of any dolphin! They live in every ocean other than the Arctic! They prefer warmer tropical waters though. #2023MMM#WLCritters#Teamstripeddolphin
3/? In the Late Bronze Age of the Mediterranean region, paintings of striped dolphins were done using special blue paint. This began with the Late Minoans at the Palace of Knossos in Crete in what is known as the “Marine Style”. #2023MMM#WLCritters#stripeddolphin