5: Zooarchaeology Flashcards
(25 cards)
1
Q
What is zooarchaeology and its purpose
A
- the study of animal remains from archaeological sites
- identifies species and quantities
- investigates human-animal interactions
2
Q
What are faunal remains, assemblage, element, speciment and reference collection
A
- faunal remains: animal remains from archaeological sites
- assemblage: all of the artifacts and faunal remains recovered from a site
- reference collection: fauna. remains of animals used for identification
- element: specific, complete individual bone. Ex: rib, humerus, vertebra
- Speciment: individual faunal piece in an assemblage. May be a whole bone or a bone fragment
3
Q
What is burial and commingled
A
- Burial: intentional
- commingle: multiple individuals and species mixed
4
Q
How to Identify Faunal Specimens
A
- Species
- Element
- Age
- Potential Modifications
- Quantities in Assemblage
5
Q
What is taxonomy and how is it used
A
- Taxon: a group of related organisms within a scientific classification
- Identify the taxonomy –> DKPCOFGS
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6
Q
Different Classes
A
- Mollusca
- Osteichthyes
- Reptilia
- Aves
- Mammalia
7
Q
Class Mollusca
A
- the mollusks
- invertebrates
- live in hard shells made of proteins and calcium carbonate
8
Q
Class Osteichthyes
A
- bony fishes
- thin, light, platy bones
- Often translucent and concave surfaces
9
Q
Class Reptilia
A
- turtle shells
- lots of vertebrae
- ball and socket surfaces
10
Q
Class Aves
A
- light weight thin walled bones
- semi hollow with web like struts
- smooth, glossy and may appear greasy
11
Q
Class Mammalia
A
- thick walled bones
- smooth, woody exterior
- dense, spongy interior
12
Q
How can archaeologists perform species level identifications
A
- comparative collections
- bone guide
13
Q
how to identify the element
A
- describing fragmentary remains called siding
- Side: right or left side. Axial: bones in the midline of the body
- Portion: proximal: closer to the mass of the body. Distal: farther from the mass of the body
14
Q
appendicular and axial skeleton
A
appendicular: forelimbs/arms, hindlimbs/legs, scapula, pelvis
axial: vertebrae and skull
15
Q
Ways to identify the age
A
- dentition
- growth structures
- epiphyseal fusion
16
Q
Dentition
A
- identifies age
- dental development: mammals have two setes of teeth: deciduous and adult
- dental eruption patterns: exasct age (juveniles) and relative age
17
Q
Growth structures
A
- identifies age
- incremental growth structures: horns and antlers that develop at a set rate and is use to precisely age individuals
18
Q
Epiphyseal Fusion
A
- identifies age
- epiphyseal fusion: bones of all vertebrates develop at a set rate according to species
- structure from top to bottom: proximal epiphysis –> diaphysis –> distial epiphysis
- juvenile: epiphysis not fused
- young adult: can see fusion line
- adult: no fusion line
19
Q
Types of natural and cultural modifications
A
- Natural modifications
* carnivore gnawing
* rodent gnawing - Cultural modifications
* cutmarks
* bone implements
* grinding
* perforation/drilling
burned bone: can be natural or cultural cannot tell
20
Q
Natural modifications
A
- Carnivore gnawing: pits, U shaped scratches, punctures
- Rodent gnawing: parallel channels
21
Q
Natural modifications
A
- Rodent gnawing: parallel channels
- Cutmarks: V shaped and appear in clusters
- Bone implements: tools, for personal use, scoring, boring holes. Ex: grinding (smooth edges) and perforation/drilling
22
Q
Burned Bone
A
- can be cultural or natural
- impossible to tell
23
Q
Quantify the Assemblage
A
- NISP: number of identified specimens
- MNI: minimum number of individuals
24
Q
NISP
A
- number of identified specimens
- ount the total number of speciments in the assemblage
25
MNI
* minimum number of individuals
* estimates the minimum number of individual animals a given faunal assemblage could represent
* assumes each specimen is a diferent individual
* count based on element frequency
* sort elements by species/type and side
* identify most frequent element and side
