Making Bones Talk

Faunal analysis or zooarchaeology is the study of animal bones excavated from archaeological sites.  Bones can not only tell archaeologists what food people ate but provide information related to trade patterns, animal husbandry techniques, environmental issues, cooking and butchery practices, economic conditions, and belief systems. 

“Making Bones Talk” will look at each step of faunal analysis from excavating and identifying the bones to determining what information can be gained from them.  To see how animal bones can influence the interpretations of archaeological sites, faunal analysis from Jamestown Fort will also be discussed.  As the first permanent English settlement in the New World, food played a critical role in the survival of the first colonists from 1607 to the 1620s.  The identified bones have revealed essential information about the “starving time” at Jamestown, how trade relationships with local tribes changed over time, how the environment affected their food choices, and how livestock herds became established in the New World. 

As part of this research, raptor bones have been identified in several areas of the original fort.  The Carolina Raptor Center has played a crucial role in these identifications by providing a comparative skeletal collection of various raptor species.  The identified species will be discussed, as well as, the ongoing mystery of the exact role these birds played in Jamestown’s history.

This event is free, and attendees are encouraged to RSVP so that the Carolina Raptor Center can plan accordingly. Doors will open at 5:45 PM for seating. Don’t miss this opportunity to delve into colonial history and discover how faunal analysis is helping uncover new details about the Jamestown settlers' fight for survival.

About Susan Andrews:

Born and raised in Williamsburg, Virginia, Susan was surrounded by history at a young age and started to work as a field archaeologist for Colonial Williamsburg during her college summers.  She received her undergraduate degree in Historical Preservation from the University of Mary Washington and then attended the College of William and Mary for a master’s degree in Anthropology.  Following graduate school, Susan worked for several years as a staff archaeologist for Colonial Williamsburg and then worked as the Archaeology Lab Supervisor for Thomas Jefferson’s Poplar Forest in Lynchburg, Virginia.  Her marriage brought her to Charlotte, NC in 1993 and later to Fort Mill, SC in 2007 where she and her husband raised their daughter. 

Susan started her own business as a faunal consultant in 1993 and has worked with museums, colleges, universities, the National Park Service, state offices of archaeology, cultural resource firms, and private individuals.  She has completed over 100 projects from a variety of archaeological sites including Native American forts and English settlements at Jamestown, VA, Charleston, SC, and Wethersfield, CT.  Other projects have been related to military encampments from the American Revolutionary and Civil Wars, large plantations to small farms, cabins of the enslaved, frontier and urban sites, the first Black Baptist Church in the country, the first school for enslaved children, and temple sites located in the French Polynesia Islands.  Archaeology, faunal analysis, and historical research have been a part of her life for many years and she feels privileged to have a job which she loves.

When she am not working or researching, Susan can usually be found in the mountains camping and hiking with her husband and their dog.