recreating how prehistoric people used small game during Prehistory – Portugal Resident

On Tuesday, June 2, the Algarve Archaeological Association (AAA) will be presenting two lectures, in English, by Dr Anna Rufà. The first lecture will be at 2.30pm at the Museu do Traje in São Brás de Alportel; the second lecture will be at 6pm at the Convento de São José in Lagoa.        

In this lecture, Dr Anna Rufà will explore how the study of birds can shed light on everyday life in the distant past. Drawing on experimental archaeology, the talk will demonstrate how researchers recreate ancient practices, such as hunting, processing, and cooking small animals, which helps to better understand how prehistoric communities lived and adapted to their environments.

By combining scientific analysis with hands-on experimentation, this research reveals the often-overlooked importance of small fauna in human survival, offering fresh insights into diet, resourcefulness, and cultural practices thousands of years ago.

Dr Anna Rufà is a Spanish researcher working at the ICArEHB (University of Algarve) who studies how prehistoric people lived and interacted with animals. She focuses especially on small animals like birds and rabbits, which are often overlooked but were important for survival in the past.

She completed her PhD in Quaternary and Prehistory in 2017 at Rovira i Virgili University (URV) in Spain, followed by a postdoctoral position at the PACEA laboratory in Bordeaux (France) between 2018 and 2020. Since 2021, she has been based at ICArEHB, where she continues her research and collaborates on many international projects.

By examining bones found at archaeological sites and recreating ancient techniques, she helps us understand how people hunted, prepared food, and made use of available resources thousands of years ago, bringing together science and hands-on experiments to reveal everyday life in prehistory.

Non-members are welcome to attend AAA lectures for a €5 admission fee, with all money raised by the AAA being used for archaeological grants and speakers.

For more information contact [email protected], visit arquealgarve.weebly.com or Facebook ‘Algarve Archaeological Association’. Please check the website or Facebook page for any last-minute changes.

Please note that this is the last lecture before the summer break, we will resume our lectures in October.