Rethinking Methods of Faunal Analysis

Much progress has been made in recent years with respect to the analysis of faunal remains. Advances include improved protocols for the study of seasonality, the production of new control data on carnivore feeding behavior, as well as efforts focused on a better understanding of the process of identification and quantification of faunal specimens. However, many questions remain open or require additional research. For instance, how robust are our faunal identifications? Are NISP and MNE replicable and accurate measures of abundance? How can we explain variation in counts of cutmarks or in the identification of taphonomic agents? Do archaeozoologists produce accurate interpretations of seasonality patterns? This symposium will address these and other methodological problems that are central to the analysis of faunal remains.