Příloha 7: Posudek oponenta habilitační práce
Masarykova univerzita Fakulta
Habilitační obor
Přírodovědecká fakulta Antropologie
Uchazeč Pracoviště Habilitační práce
Mgr. Sandra Sázelová, Ph.D.
Ústav antropologie Přírodovědecké fakulty MU
Vztah člověk - zvíře: Analýza zvířecího osteologického
materiálu v antropologickém kontextu
Oponent Pracoviště
Doc. Piotr Wojtal
Ustav systematiky a evoluce živočichů, Polská akademie věd v Krakově
Institute of Systematics and Evolution of Animals, Polish Academy of Sciences
Text posudku
The habilitation thesis by dr. Sandra Sázelová includes studies of both contemporary and fossil mammalian remains. The main goals of her work are to investigate and compare the human-animal relationships of present-day "primitive" people (in arctic Siberia) and past societies (mainly from the Upper Palaeolithic). The study of the modern pre-industrial hunters is especially useful because these people live today in environments similar to that of the Upper Paleolithic hunters of the last glacial period.
The habilitation work is divided into two parts. In the first, dr. Sázelová presents and discusses results of her studies of contemporary mobile campsites in northern Siberia. The effects of her investigations are much more valuable because of her active participation in a field expedition, rather than through library research. In articles chosen for the habilitation, she is one of few authors. Her specialty in the taphonomic analysis of osteological materials is a plainly important contribution. Among other topics, dr. Sázelová focused on direct analysis of osteological material, analysis of human and animal activity, descriptions of camps, and the distribution of bone and art objects.
In the second part results are presented and discussed from studies of osteological materials coming mainly from Upper Palaeolithic open-air sites (Dolní Věstonice Ha, Milovice IV, Pavlov I, Předmostí III). She also studied the mammalian remains from a Lower Paleolithic site (Horky III) and a Mesolithic site (Janova zátoka rock shelter). In articles selected for the habilitation work, dr. Sázelová's contribution is highly visible. As she did in her research with the Siberian hunters and with the palaeontological materials, she characterized the taphonomy of the archaeological sites. Her role focused on the identification of mammal bones, descriptions of signs of human and animal activity visible on the mammal bones, and a zooarcheological analysis of the materials.
Here I do not review the papers included in the habilitation thesis because the articles were evaluated both by journal editors and peer reviewers. The fact that manuscripts were accepted and published confirms that they were highly rated. The quality and importance of these articles by dr. Sandra Sázelová are clearly appreciated by colleagues from different scientific
fields - anthropologists, archaeologists, and zooarchaeologists. In my opinion, one of the most significant contributions is her participation in a project focused on the emerging problem of determining when humans first tried to tame wild wolves, leading to domestication of dogs. In an article still in press, together with Angela Perri, she concludes that a recently advanced hypothesis about wolf domestication among Moravian Gravettian societies cannot be supported by the canid materials excavated from Dolní Věstonice II.
The scientific interests of dr. Sandra Sázelová are concentrated on the relationships between primitive human societies and mammals. Her research focuses on ethnoarchaeology of contemporary human sites. However, her activities also include studies of mammalian remains from Palaeolithic and Mesolithic sites. I would like to underline dr. Sandra Sazelova's cooperation with research workers from various fields of science and different institutions. She works together not only with scientists from Czech Republic but also from other European countries. This and her clearly visible contributions in the studies confirm her position as a fully mature and valuable coworker in scientific teams.
Dotazy oponenta k obhajobě habilitační práce
1. The domestication of wolf is one of most important human influence on animal world. I would to know what is opinion of dr Sázelová about possible areas of wolf domestication. Is it possible that this event has place on South Moravia? If it has not been on this area, what other regions could be take into consideration.
2. Upper Palaeolithic Moravian sites (especially Gravettian) are big and very well known from large number of animal remains, art objects, figurines, bone tools, etc. Is it possible to compare this Paleolithic sites with contemporary Siberian campsites? If yes, will be possible to find for Gravettian sites different zones of human activity?
Závěr
Habilitační práce Sandry Sázelová „Vztah člověk - zvíře: Analýza zvířecího osteologického materiálu v antropologickém kontextu" splňuje požadavky standardně kladené na habilitační práce v oboru Antropologie.
In my opinion Sandra Sázelová habilitation thesis "Vztah člověk - zvíře: Analýza zvířecího osteologického materiálu v antropologickém kontextu" meets the standard requirements for a habilitation thesis in Anthropology.
Kraków 20.03.2016 Piotr Wojtal