Making Fauna Matter in Archaic Period Research: Exploring Adaptation, Population Growth, and Cultural Practice through the Digital Integration of Eastern Archaic Faunal Datasets

Although recovery and identification of animal remains from Eastern Archaic sites has been standard procedure for decades, zooarchaeologists usually have not been at the forefront of archaeological debate about Archaic period variability and change. Even though they are commonly examined at the site and local level, faunal data have been critically evaluated in macro assessments of what happened during the Archaic in only a few instances. Fortunately the development of digital repositories such as the Digital Archaeological Record (tDAR) means that it is now possible to incorporate faunal evidence into archaeological research more directly. Preservation and integration of more than 50 significant faunal databases in tDAR by the Eastern Archaic Faunal Working Group (EAFWG) has facilitated the exploration of possible causes for variability and change in the use of aquatic resources by Archaic peoples within and across the sub-regions of the interior North American Eastern Woodlands. The methodological approaches of the EAFWG and the integrative tools available in tDAR have made it possible to closely examine faunal data at multiple scales. Ultimately the work of the EAFWG is leading to new perspectives on the roles of ecological, demographic, and cultural factors in the choices of Archaic period populations.