Methodologies for Integrating Eastern Archaic Faunal Databases Using the Digital Archaeological Record (tDAR)

As part of multi-scalar research on the use of aquatic animal resources by Archaic period hunter-gatherers in the interior Eastern Woodlands, zooarchaeologists from multiple institutions are exploring the integration of Archaic faunal datasets that have been collected and analyzed over the last half century. As a first step in this research these zooarchaeologists, who have formed the Eastern Archaic Faunal Working Group (EAFWG), have uploaded their faunal databases into the Digital Archaeological Record (tDAR), a digital repository for archaeological information maintained by Digital Antiquity. Initially these zooarchaeologists have been concentrating on uploading their datasets and making them usable in tDAR. This group also has been exploring database comparability with respect to taphonomy and context, and developing proxies for environmental and demographic change. Meanwhile the computer scientists at tDAR have further streamlined the integration tools available through tDAR. The posters in this session present the capabilities of tDAR for database integration, the researchers various experiences in working with tDAR and with the problems of database comparability as well as possible methodologies for modeling Archaic demographic change. Although there has been a definite learning curve, this work suggests that faunal database integration can be used to address important archaeological questions.