Abstract Taphonomy studies post mortem damage to animal bones. Palaeopathology is the study of in vivo lesions in the skeleton. Archaeozoology uses animal remains from archaeological sites to study the relationship between people and animals. The connection between these concepts is that while all archaeozoological finds are subject to some kind of taphonomic process, only a certain number originate from diseased animals. Palaeopathology developed special features in archaeozoology, since contemporary human interference must always be reckoned with in archaeological assemblages. Animal remains occur as scattered-food refuse so that most diagnoses are isolated from their biological context. This paper reviews through various examples why a taphonomic approach to palaeopathological studies is of utmost significance.