ANTH 202 Lecture Notes - Lecture 10: Pronghorn, Bone Bed, Stone Tool
Document Summary
Chapter 9: people, plants, and animals in the past. Animal bones recovered from an archaeological site. An archaeofauna differs from a paleontological assemblage because humans may have had a hand in the formation of the archaeofauna. Bones may lie as the hunters left them. May have been affected by carnivore scavenging, weathering, and other natural factors. Where hunted animals were brought back, or domesticated animals. Assign each specimen to its element (the anatomical part of the body). Is this bone a rib splinter, part of the pelvis, etc. Identify the specimens to taxon (kind of animal). An archaeologist who specializes in this type of analysis is called a zooarchaeologist. A comparative faunal collection includes (for each species): Examples of young and old animals (these differ) Examples of males and females (these differ, too) Once collected these are defleshed and cleaned. they help to identify the taxa. In order to show some human connection to the faunal samples scientists look for:
