Response to Critique of the Claim of Cannibalism at Cowboy Wash

Abstract

The original authors of Billman et al. (2000) are joined by three other analysts from the Cowboy Wash research team to respond to the critique of this article by Dongoske et al. (2000). Dongoske and his coauthors state that Billman et al. (2000) failed to test alternative hypotheses or to consider alternative explanations for the findings at 5MT10010 and similar sites. The original authors point out that alternative hypotheses were examined and rejected, leaving a violent episode of cannibalism as the most plausible explanation for the remains found at 5MT10010. Dongoske et al. also question many aspects of the osteological, archaeological, coprolite, and biochemical analyses that were presented in the 5MT10010 study. Our response addresses issues of data collection, procedure, and interpretation, and attempts to clarify some points that were not fully developed in the original text due to length restrictions.

Hunter‐gatherer use of small animal food resources: coprolite evidence

“…The importance in identifying human origin was brought to the forefront in analyses of purported cannibal coprolites Dongoske et al, 2000;Lambert et al, 2000;Marlar et al, 2000). This is especially true in this study because we present the facts that animal bone, hair, and intestinal residue were found in human coprolites.…”

Ancient protein analysis in archaeology

“…( 37 ). A further controversial discovery was the reported identification of human myoglobin in ceramic vessels and a coprolite as evidence of cannibalism ( 38 ), an archeological interpretation that was met with criticisms ( 39 ) and response ( 40 ). Outside North American contexts, this approach has been used to understand food acquisition and processing at the Neolithic site of Çayönü Tepesi ( 41 ) in southeast Turkey, where evidence of Bos primigenius , sheep, goat, and even human blood were reported from stone objects using Labstix tests (dip-stick tests used for the presence of hemoglobin in urine) and patterns of hemoglobin crystallization.…”

Assessing diet and seasonality in the Lower Pecos canyonlands: an evaluation of coprolite specimens as records of individual dietary decisions

“…This is particularly important since differential preservation of identifiable parasitic remains, along with the lack of distinguishing features for many parasite larvae and ova, limits the conclusions based upon visual identification (Fry 1985;Reinhard 1989). This technique has also been used to confirm the consumption of human flesh associated with evidence of human butchery at Cowboy Wash, Colorado (Koon et al 2010;Lambert 2000;Lambert et al 2000;Reinhard 2006).…”