Exploring Taphonomic and Contextual Comparability in Eastern Archaic Faunal Datasets

Summary

The Eastern Archaic Faunal Working Group (EAFWG), established with funding from NSF, is preserving Archaic period faunal databases from interior portions of the Eastern Woodlands in tDAR (the Digital Archaeological Record) in order to undertake data integration at multiple scales that examines the use of aquatic resources across time and space during the Archaic. A major initial question about our existing datasets is how comparable they are taphonomically and contextually. Protocols for evaluating comparability before integrating faunal databases have been suggested by Southwestern zooarchaeologists. These protocols rely on a variety of variables related to bone condition, modification, and attrition and assess differences between intramural and extramural excavation contexts. However, modification is required to address the greater variety of animal resources and the different site contexts relevant in Eastern Woodlands archaeology. We have piloted a modified protocol, and in this poster, we report the variables selected and the results of our pilot study. We think that our approach will facilitate comparisons at multiple scales and will also be useful to other zooarchaeologists working in the Eastern Woodlands.

This Resource is Part of the Following Collections

• Society for American Archaeology 81st Annual Meeting, Orlando, FL (2016)   •
• Methodologies for Integrating Eastern Archaic Faunal Databases Using the Digital Archaeological Record (tDAR)

Keywords

Spatial Coverage