نبذة مختصرة : Archaeozoology is the study of animal–human relationships using the evidence of archaeological finds. Throughout the history of civilization human and animal welfare have become inseparable from each other. Microbiota found in and on all multicellular organisms include pathogens linking animals and humans not only to their environments but also to individuals of their own and other species. Animal paleopathology is traditionally based on the attempted identification of macromorphological symptoms of various infections on the excavated skeletal remains of various species. Osteological lesions caused by past animal disease reveal situated relations with humans, as many of them may be resulting from zoonoses shared between multiple species, including people. Interactive socioecological systems giving rise to zoonoses thus involve humans, animals, and pathogens in specific environments. While many such diseases first emerged with the onset of domestication and increasing social complexity, they are also caused by recent human infringements on the natural habitats of wild animals. Understanding animal disease in the distant past is indispensable in developing a long-term, holistic perspective on zoonotic infections. Contextualizing scarce archaeozoological evidence for zoonoses in epidemiological terms should help identifying the factors that promote disease and understanding their dynamics.
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