Science Day: Microfauna in Archaeology: What Tiny Bones Reveal About Human History

We will have a microfauna card game, along with microscopes for visitors to look at small animal bones, and explain to them how these tiny creatures can help us recreate the world ancient humans lived in.

The remains of small animals are discovered at nearly all prehistoric archaeological sites. While birds- and occasionally snakes and lizards- were part of the human diet as far back as the Stone Age, many other small animals lived in and around early human settlements. Their bones offer a wealth of insight into the environments and lives of ancient peoples. Drs. Linda Amos and Ma'ayan Lev explain what these often-overlooked microfaunal remains can reveal about daily life in millennia past.