Zooarch / Osteoarchaeological Research

Zooarchaeology is defined as the study of remains (bones, shells, hair, chitin, scales, hides, proteins and DNA), left behind when an animal dies, in archaeological contexts. Osteoarchaeology is a branch of archaeology that involves the study and analysis of human and animal skeletal remains. RGA offers zooarchaeological and osteoarchaeological research services to cultural resource consulting firms, researchers, universities, and government agencies. Typical services include the standard identification of humans, mammals, birds, fish, and shellfish. This includes bone identification to the lowest taxonomic order possible and examination for taphonomic modification, including the presence of butchery marks. The RGA zooarchaeology laboratory is equipped with a comparative collection, with an emphasis on domestic and wild species commonly recovered from archaeological sites in the Northeast and Mid-Atlantic regions.