X-Ray Analysis of Mandibles from a 2000 Year-Old Bison Kill Site in Western Oklahoma

Summary

The seasonality of the kill events from Certain site in Beckham County, Oklahoma is determined through x-ray analysis of bison mandibles. The distribution of bison dentition at archaeological sites has been studied extensively to provide information about seasonality, age, diet, and migration patterns. Because bison calf at roughly the same time during the year, understanding the age at death determines the seasonality of the kill. Knowing the seasonality of a bison kill reveals when a site was utilized and where on the landscape people were at different times of the year. Through x-ray analysis of several Bison bison mandibles from the Certain site, an age profile of the individuals analyzed can be created and the seasonality of the kills can be determined. The age profile created from the dentition is compared here with the age profile created from epiphyseal fusion rates of the bones from the same site. In addition, the seasonality of the kills as determined by x-ray analysis is compared with previous seasonality estimates.

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This Resource is Part of the Following Collections

• Society for American Archaeology 80th Annual Meeting, San Francisco, CA (2015)

Keywords

Spatial Coverage