Understanding Changes in Lagomorph Proportions within the Homol’ovi Settlement Cluster, Northeast Arizona

Summary

Lagomorphs (rabbits and hares) were a critically important dietary resource for inhabitants of the pre-contact American Southwest, where they typically dominate faunal assemblages. It is useful to examine proportions between genera of lagomorphs—specifically, cottontails (Syvilagus sp.) and jackrabbits (Lepus sp.)—to elucidate information about the past environment and how it might have changed in response to human actions. Based on habitat preferences and predator evasion strategies, the lagomorph index is a useful tool for examining this relationship and tracking how the environment might have changed throughout time. This poster examines changes in the lagomorph proportions through time within the Homol’ovi Settlement Cluster, a group of five Pueblo IV villages occupied at various points between AD 1260 and 1400. Results show an increasing reliance on cottontails over jackrabbits through time. The implications of this trend are discussed through optimal foraging theory.

This Resource is Part of the Following Collections

• Society for American Archaeology 83rd Annual Meeting, Washington, DC (2018)

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Record Identifiers

Abstract Id(s): 21039