Using bone fragmentation records to investigate coastal human ecodynamics: A case study from Čḯxwicən (Washington State, USA)

Bovy, Kristine M.; Etnier, Michael A.; Butler, Virginia L.; Campbell, Sarah K.; Shaw, Jennie

doi:10.1016/j.jasrep.2018.08.049

Cited by 4 publications

(3 citation statements)

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“…Globally, shell middens, that is sites in which discarded mollusc shells are the dominant physical constituent of the deposit, also known as shell-matrix deposits, are typical coastal sites [1–7]. They serve as important archives of past human life, as they contain not only abundant remains of mollusc shell but also provide a chemical and structural environment that protects other archaeological and biological remains [8–10]. Because of this, shell midden sites provide archaeological information on prehistoric and pre-contact hunter-fisher-gatherer and agricultural societies in many coastal landscapes of the world, as well as ecological information about their associated climate and environment [11–14].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Quantifying spatial variability in shell midden formation in the Farasan Islands, Saudi Arabia

et al. 2019

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During the past decade, over 3000 shell middens or shell matrix deposits have been discovered on the Farasan Islands in the southern Red Sea, dating to the period c. 7,360 to 4,700 years ago. Many of the sites are distributed along a palaeoshoreline which is now 2–3 m above present sea level. Others form clusters with some sites on the shoreline and others located inland over distances of c. 30 m to 1 km. We refer to these inland sites as ‘post-shore’ sites. Following Meehan, who observed a similar spatial separation in shell deposition in her ethnographic study of Anbarra shellgathering in the Northern Territory of Australia, we hypothesise that the shoreline sites are specialised sites for the processing or immediate consumption of shell food, and the post-shore sites are habitation sites used for a variety of activities. We test this proposition through a systematic analysis of 55 radiocarbon dates and measurement of shell quantities from the excavation of 15 shell matrix sites in a variety of locations including shoreline and post-shore sites. Our results demonstrate large differences in rates of shell accumulation between these two types of sites and selective removal of shoreline sites by changes in sea level. We also discuss the wider implications for understanding the differential preservation and visibility of shell-matrix deposits in coastal settings in other parts of the world extending back into the later Pleistocene in association with periods of lowersea level. Our results highlight the importance of taphonomic factors of post-depositional degradation and destruction, rates of shell accumulation, the influence on site location of factors other than shell food supply, and the relative distance of deposits from their nearest palaeoshorelines as key variables in the interpretation of shell quantities. Failure to take these variables into account when investigating shells and shell-matrix deposits in late Pleistocene and early Holocene contexts is likely to compromise interpretations of the role and significance of shell food in human evolutionary and socio-cultural development.

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Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Quantifying spatial variability in shell midden formation in the Farasan Islands, Saudi Arabia

et al. 2019

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“…Body part representation for bone elements is very similar between the burbot assemblage at Mead C3a and the salmon assemblage at Upward Sun River C3 in being predominantly vertebral (77 and 81%, respectively), with some cranial (22 and 19%, respectively) and ~1% pectoral/pelvic (table S6). Identifiability indices (proxy measures of the degree of bone fragmentation) are also similar between Mead C3a and Upward Sun River C3, including number of specimens (NSP)/NISP (1.9 and 1.7, respectively) and the identification rate ( 30 ) (53.7 and 59.3%, respectively). These similarities in body part representation and fragmentation suggest that similar processing occurred at both sites; however, the Upward Sun River C3 assemblage is mostly burned (93%), while only 1% of the Mead C3a assemblage is burned, suggesting differential disposal strategies.…”

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 84%

Freshwater and anadromous fishing in Ice Age Beringia

et al. 2023

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While freshwater and anadromous fish have been critical economic resources for late prehistoric and modern Native Americans, the origin and development of fishing is not well understood. We document the earliest known human use of freshwater and anadromous fish in North America by 13,000 and 11,800 years ago, respectively, from primary anthropogenic contexts in central Alaska (eastern Beringia). Fish use appears conditioned by broad climatic factors, as all occurrences but one are within the Younger Dryas chronozone. Earlier Bølling-Allerød and later early Holocene components, while exhibiting similar organic preservation, did not yield evidence of fishing, suggesting that this was a response to changing environmental factors, perhaps reductions in higher ranked resources such as large terrestrial mammals. Late Pleistocene and recent Indigenous peoples harvested similar fish taxa in the region (salmon, burbot, whitefish, and pike). We characterize late Pleistocene fishing in interior Beringia as an important element of broad-spectrum foraging rather than the intensive communal fishing and storage common among recent peoples.

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“…Archaeologists frequently focus on the tool-assisted extraction of fats deposited within the skeleton of terrestrial herbivores because this practice sets humans apart from most other species, which use their teeth and/or digestive enzymes to dislodge this valuable resource. However, distinguishing tool-assisted fat extraction from other agents of bone fragmentation such as carnivores, trampling, fire, and weathering poses an interpretive challenge as a result of sometimes significant overlap in their respective archaeological signatures (Bovy et al 2019; Castel et al 2017; Costamagno et al 2005; Heinrich 2014; Lam et al 2003; Manne et al 2006; Morin and Soulier 2017; Munro and Bar-Oz 2005; Outram 2001; Pavao-Zuckerman 2011; Sunseri 2015). The interpretation of faunal assemblages is further complicated by the fact that these agents of fragmentation are not mutually exclusive, and they can collectively modify markers of tool-assisted extraction of fats.…”

Section: Tool-assisted Extraction Of Skeletal Fatsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Revisiting Bone Grease Rendering in Highly Fragmented Assemblages

Morin

2020

Am. Antiq.

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Bone grease rendering is a low-return activity well described in the ethnohistorical and ethnographic literature. However, identifying this activity in archaeological contexts is complex because diagnostic criteria are few. The goals of this article are twofold: (1) to provide new experimental data on bone grease manufacture for assemblages associated with severe fragmentation, and (2) to assess how these data can be used to make stronger inferences about skeletal fat processing in the archaeological record. The results presented here show that, despite some variation, several forms of damage appear to be diagnostic of bone grease manufacture, regardless of the degree of fragmentation. The results indicate that extensive pounding produces many fragments that can be identified as deriving from articular ends, which conflicts with the oft-cited notion that articular ends are destroyed “beyond recognition” during this activity. Consequently, assemblages with few epiphyseal remains are not consistent with bone grease rendering, assuming that the comminuted fragments were not burned or discarded off-site after boiling. Because bone grease manufacture produces many small fragments, a close analysis of the indeterminate remains is strongly recommended, as is the use of fine mesh screens (2 mm or smaller) in excavations.

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Using bone fragmentation records to investigate coastal human ecodynamics: A case study from Čḯxwicən (Washington State, USA)

Cited by 4 publications

References 44 publications

Quantifying spatial variability in shell midden formation in the Farasan Islands, Saudi Arabia

Quantifying spatial variability in shell midden formation in the Farasan Islands, Saudi Arabia

Freshwater and anadromous fishing in Ice Age Beringia

Revisiting Bone Grease Rendering in Highly Fragmented Assemblages

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