ABSTRACT
The bulk of the faunal debris found on an archaeological site consists of mammal bone and teeth. Bird, reptile and fish bones and mollusc shells are found too, but generally in smaller quantities. Of what substances are bones and teeth composed and how do they form? This chapter will briefly describe how bones and teeth develop in the growing animal, and what they look like under the microscope. Without a thorough understanding of hard tissue biology, it is difficult to make sense of archaeofaunal data. Bones and teeth are not bits of pottery or stone tools.
