ZooMS species identification and its compatibility with other bioarchaeological methods

Summary

The interdisciplinary nature of the tools and techniques available to the bioarchaeologist ranges across the sciences. Most recently, the field of proteomics within analytical chemistry, has been utilised to develop methods of species identification of archaeological materials in a technique that we have been calling ZooMS, short for Zooarchaeology by Mass Spectrometry. This methodology was initially created for separation of common domesticate vertebrates, but recent years have seen the development of this technique across a wider range of wild animal taxa, as well as improvements in the high-throughput potential of the analyses. Most recently, the compatibility of the ZooMS collagen fingerprinting technique with other bioarchaeological methods has been explored. This paper presents the latest results on the taxonomic resolution of ZooMS collagen fingerprinting, and discussing its advantages and disadvantages over other methods of species identification available to the archaeologist. It then goes on to highlight examples in which the method has been applied to tackle archaeological questions in combination with other techniques, including stable isotope, radiocarbon, and ancient DNA analyses. Practical considerations over this compatibility are discussed.

This Resource is Part of the Following Collections

• Society for American Archaeology 81st Annual Meeting, Orlando, FL (2016)

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