Dear Erik & Ana, both of you should know about Robert Symmons's PhD (2002, 
Institute of Archaeology, University of London). He looked at the bone 
densities of sheep bones using photodensitometry (which is non-invasive, 
and is based on radiographic techniques of mineral density) and used his 
results in a consideration of some of the material recently excavated at 
the Neolithic tell site of Catal Huyuk, Turkey. There is also a chapter 
critically evaluating various different techniques that people have 
previously used to measure bone density.  You should be able to access it 
via Inter-Library Loans and it is also available online through the 
Archaeological Database Service (ADS) at York (England). I have checked 
with Robert who says:

"Of course you are more than welcome to cite my thesis. I have not 
subscribed to ZooArch since I arrived here as access to computers is 
difficult for the time being.  My thesis can be found at: 
http://ads.ahds.ac.uk/catalogue/library/theses/symmons_2003/



I include his title and abstract below.

Sue

Robert Hayward Symmons 2002
A Re-examination of Sheep Bone Density and its Role in Assessing Taphonomic 
Histories of Zooarchaeological Assemblages
 unpublished Ph.D. thesis,  Institute of Archaeology, University College 
London


Abstract


	Many taphonomic processes have the potential to preferentially remove 
certain bones from the archaeological record. This introduces bias into 
element frequencies. Unless this bias is recognised and accounted for, 
there is considerable potential for the misinterpretation of archaeological 
faunal assemblages.

	Destructive taphonomic processes are largely mediated by bone density. 
Knowledge of a bone's density can therefore be used to assess the 
likelihood that it will survive in the archaeological record. Previous 
researchers have produced bone density values for a range of taxa and 
skeletal locations. These are often based on small samples or are otherwise 
flawed. This thesis develops a measurement method based on 
photodensitometry and produces density data for 95 well-provenanced modern 
sheep skeletons. It focuses on the variation of bone density according to 
the age of an animal.

Analysis of this data shows that bone density is extremely variable between 
very similar individuals. Bone density is not affected by the method used 
to deflesh the specimens. Male sheep appear to have higher skeletal 
densities than castrates. Differences in bone density between breeds may 
reflect different animal management regimes. Bone density is shown to vary 
according to the age of an animal in a non-linear manner.

The data produced by this project were used to assess the taphonomic 
histories of the assemblage from Çatalhöyük, Turkey. It is apparent that 
internal areas at the site have been subject to lower levels of taphonomic 
destruction than external areas. It is suggested that carnivore gnawing is 
largely responsible for this discrepancy. Taphonomic destruction has not 
significantly altered the age profile of the archaeological material.

Density data were not able to explain fully the observed element 
frequencies at Çatalhöyük. This suggests that other variables (bone size or 
direction of force) also contribute significantly to the ability for a bone 
to survive taphonomic destruction.


--On 11 January 2006 18:05 -0500 Erik Filean <[log in to unmask]> wrote:

>
>
>
> In a message dated 1/11/2006 1:53:52 PM Central Standard Time,
> [log in to unmask] writes:
>
>
> I am a spanish PhD student and  at the moment I am developing my thesis
> on the archaeozoological and taphonomical study of several paleolithic
> sites of the north of Spain. I am very interested in contacting with
> people who currently are working in bone density, since I would like to
> ask some questions about it.
>
> Could you help me?
>
> My best regards,
>
> Ana
>
>
> Hello, Ana. I've been doing some work in bone density recently as part of
> my own PhD research. In particular, I've been working on applying the
> variations in density represented by the standard deviations in published
> density data per densitometry/computed tomography scan site as part of
> the interpretive framework for archaeological cases. It's a way to try to
> incorporate some of the concerns raised by Evangelia Ioannidou (2003)
> while admitting that I don't have the time or resources right now to try
> to create new data sets with larger samples including males, females, and
> juvenile animals. If I can help you at all, let me know.
>
> Best Regards,
> Erik Filean
> University of Iowa
>
>
> A young monk approached Bush and showed him an old dog. "Does this dog
> have buddha-nature?" he asked. Bush shot the dog and replied, "The dog
> was a threat, and you said he was, too." Years later they were both eaten
> by larger, angrier dogs, and the monk was enlightened.
> --Medium Lobster, Fafblog



Dr. Sue Stallibrass
English Heritage Archaeological Science Adviser for North-West England
Department of Archaeology
Hartley Building
University of Liverpool
LIVERPOOL L69 3GS

direct telephone: +44 (0)151 794 5046
departmental FAX: +44 (0)151 794
5057

e-mail: [log in to unmask]