I came to Tübingen's Archaeo- and Paleoproteomics Working Group from a classic zooarchaeology background thanks to my Master's thesis on recent and proposed biomolecular advances and their applications to zooarchaeological research. Coming into ZooMS with this perspective has led me to seek to find a solution to one of ZooMS's most common questions: How can we trust reported ZooMS ratios when the only quantification method used is NISP, and in some cases weight, given the known limitations and inherent biases with these methods which would be further compounded in a heavily fragmented assemblage? Therefore, I am currently working to develop, apply, and refine a quantification method that I have developed based on older established methods from traditional zooarchaeology.
I am currently applying this method to ZooMS-identified fragments from the Mousterian layers of Geißenklösterle and Hohlenstein-Stadel. The goal for these studies is to ultimately shed additional light on fragmentation patterns and hominin and carnivore behavior through study of surface modifications, fragment size, and the taxonomic abundances represented in the fragmentary assemblage. The method should also allow a comparison with the original zooarchaeological work, through which ZooMS will ideally be able to reveal additional information so far "hidden in plain sight".
Education:
B.A. in Anthropology, University of North Carolina at Greensboro (UNCG), 2019
M.Sc. in Zooarchaeology, University of York, 2022
Research Interests:
Paleoproteomics, zooarchaeology, hominin behavior and subsistence
Publications:
De Caro, Dalila, Megan A. Saunders, Brienna Eteson, Susan M. Mentzer, and Judith Beier. 2024. “Thirteenth annual meeting of the European Society for the Study of Human Evolution.” Evolutionary Anthropology: e22029. doi: 10.1002/evan.22029
Thompson, Nathan, Lameesah Ahmed, Taner B. Celebi, Zachary S. Coopee, Nikki Koll, Danielle Rubinstein, Megan A. Saunders, and Robert L. Anemone. 2020. “Digitization of the Nissen-Riesen Chimpanzee Radiological Growth Series.” Evolutionary Anthropology: 1-7. doi: 10.1002/evan.21836
Presentations:
Saunders, Megan. A, Luca Michaelis, Susanne C. Münzel, Keiko Kitagawa, Britt M. Starkovich, Salma Ibrahim, Nicholas J. Conard, and Samantha Brown. “Counting Fragments: A New Holistic Approach to Quantifying ZooMS-Identified Bone Fragments for Analysis.” Presented at 13th Annual European Society for the Study of Human Evolution Conference, University of Aarhus and Museum of Ancient Art, Aarhus, Denmark, September 2023. Poster. https://www.eshe.eu/pastmeeting/2023/
Saunders, Megan. A, Luca Michaelis, Susanne Münzel, Keiko Kitagawa, Britt Starkovich, Nicholas Conard, and Samantha Brown. “Counting Fragments: A New Holistic Approach to Quantifying ZooMS-Identified Bone Fragments for Analysis.” Talk presented at Postgraduate Zooarchaeology Forum (PZaF), University of Zagreb, Zagreb, Croatia, May 2023. https://pzaf2023.ffzg.unizg.hr/
Saunders, Megan. A, Luca Michaelis, Susanne C. Münzel, Keiko Kitagawa, Britt M. Starkovich, Nicholas J. Conard, and Samantha Brown. 18-19 April 2023. “Counting Fragments: A New Holistic Approach to Quantifying ZooMS-Identified Bone Fragments for Analysis.” Talk presented at Integrating ZooMS and Zooarchaeology: methodological challenges and interpretive potentials workshop, University of Kent, Kent, United Kingdom, April 2023. www.palaeozooarch.com/workshops
Classes:
• Einführung in die Naturwissenschaftliche Archäologie II: Archäobiologie (UFGAM_BA_2.3 // UFG-BA-08-1). Lecture. Sommer Semester 2024
• Osteologie IV – Archäozoologie (Ü) (BNWA_03b / PAL-10c-2). Practical. Sommer Semester 2023, 2024
• ZooMS and Zooarchaeology (ASHE 6g). Lecture and Seminar. Winter Semester 2022-2023, 2023-2024
• ZooMS and Zooarchaeology Lab. Block course. Winter Semester 2022-2023, 2023-2024
Email: megan.saundersspam prevention@ifu.uni-tuebingen.de
Office Address: Room 707, Hauptgebäude, DG. Rümelinstr. 23