A Methodological Analysis of Vertebrate Remains from Coconut Walk, Nevis, West Indies

Summary

The accelerated pace of Pre-Columbian archaeological research in the Caribbean over the last 20 years has afforded great opportunity to better understand past human-ecosystem relationships in the region and how these have been shaped by natural and cultural processes. In keeping with this research agenda, we report the results from a robust analysis of 18,500+ marine and terrestrial vertebrate remains recovered from a dense midden deposit at the Late Ceramic Age (AD 760-1440) site of Coconut Walk, Nevis (northern Lesser Antilles). Research findings grant insight into the relative dietary importance of various vertebrate taxa over a ca. 600 year period and provide a point of comparison for invertebrate exploitation at Coconut Walk, as well as resource use recorded in zooarchaeological assemblages from other nearby islands during the same time interval. Lastly, we explore how different sampling procedures in recovery and analysis affect zooarchaeological results and interpretation.

This Resource is Part of the Following Collections

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

Keywords

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