A Zooarchaeological Analysis of Subsistence Stress at Elden Pueblo: A Final Report

Summary

This paper discusses zooarchaeological analysis conducted at Elden Pueblo in Northern Arizona. As one of the last remaining Sinagua occupation sites in the San Francisco Peaks region, the site’s abandonment during a cool and dry period suggests that the occupants may have left the area because of resource shortages. I hypothesize that populations must change acquisition and processing strategies in order to adapt to these shortages. Evidence of subsistence stress over time appears in archaeological faunal assemblages through a decrease in larger taxa, an increase in limb elements, and an increase in fragmentary elements. A sample of the Elden Pueblo faunal assemblage based on occupation date can detect changes in resource acquisition and processing strategies.

This Resource is Part of the Following Collections

• Society for American Archaeology 81st Annual Meeting, Orlando, FL (2016)

Keywords

Spatial Coverage