Current ICAZ Working Groups

African Archaeozoology Working Group—

During the Archaeozoology of Holocene Africa (J. Lesur-Gebremariam and H. Jousse) session of the of the 11th ICAZ International Conference held in Paris, August 2010, it was proposed that an African Archaeozoology Working Group be established.

The goals are to develop a web-based international repository for digital records on African zooarchaeological data and to facilitate contacts, meetings and collaborative research in all fields of African zooarchaeology and the Quaternary (Pleistocene and Holocene). We propose to support and improve inter-community/country development, and, particularly, to encourage more African-based researchers to become involved in the Working Group and ICAZ in general. The project is envisaged as a long-term collaborative programme, and will start on a trial basis. Initially we will develop anatomical and osteometrical tools for identifying cranial and post postcranial elements of African antelope taxa and Pleistocene fossils. Each contributor who provides a data set will be included as an author.

Meetings of the African Working Group will be organized within the framework of ICAZ. Discussions will centre around the database-project, new collaborative research, the organization of thematic sessions on zooarchaeological issues and new methodological advances.. We propose to meet in 2014 when the project will have had time to develop.

For further information about the African Archaeozoology Working Group, please contact either of the coordinators: Joséphine Lesur-Gebremariam (jolesur@mnhn.fr) or Hélène Jousse (jousse.helene@gmail.com).

This information was contributed by Hélène Jousse on April 6, 2011.