ARKY 201: Lab 7 - Faunal Analysis

Comprehensive practice flashcards covering concepts, artifact types, analytical methods, and quantification techniques from Lab 7: Faunal Analysis.

What is faunal analysis, or zooarchaeology?

The study of animal remains, generally in the form of bone, antler, shell, or ivory, at archaeological sites.

Under what environmental conditions are faunal remains usually preserved compared to wet tropical environments?

In hot, dry environments.

What key information does faunal analysis provide to archaeologists?

Information about subsistence and diet, economy, trade, and the environment.

What are the two major divisions within zooarchaeology?

1) Cultural analysis 2) Environmental analysis

What five main aspects of human life and site use can cultural analysis of faunal remains inform us about?

1) The function of a site and types of activities performed there 2) Diet and subsistence of people living at a site 3) Whether animals were domesticated or not 4) Methods of hunting and butchering 5) Seasonality

What does the left bone compared to the right bone in this image represent in zooarchaeology?

The left bone is a wild pig humerus, and the right bone is a domestic pig humerus, showing structural and size differences resulting from domestication.

How can faunal remains indicate the seasonality of an archaeological site?

The presence of migratory animals in the faunal sample indicates the specific time of year that a site was occupied.

Why are insects and small rodents especially useful for environmental analysis in zooarchaeology?

Because they are often quite sensitive to changes in the environment, making them ideal for reflecting and reconstructing past environmental conditions.

What is taphonomy?

The study of the transition of faunal remains from their natural state to an archaeological state (processes that create or alter the archaeological record after deposition).

What does finding weathered bone at an archaeological site indicate about its deposition?

It indicates that the bone was not deposited into the archaeological record soon after use and was probably exposed to the elements for a period before deposition.

What are examples of post-depositional taphonomic processes that archaeologists investigate using experimental studies?

Gnawing, trampling, fluvial transport, digestive corrosion, root damage, and excavation damage.

What is a bone awl?

A long-pointed tool made of bone used for perforating materials.

What category of bone artefact is depicted in this image?

A musical instrument (specifically a bone flute).

What specific type of bone artefact is depicted in this image?

A flesher.

What are the common types of bone artefacts identified in archaeological assemblages?

Awls, points and harpoons, musical instruments, ornamentation, spindle whorls, and fleshers.

What field technique is commonly used to help increase the proportion of small bones recovered from an archaeological site?

Screening.

What three major factors can introduce bias into an archaeological faunal sample?

1) Incomplete recovery (only under extremely rare conditions are 100% of remains recovered) 2) Variation in the number of identifiable skeletal elements across different species 3) Differential bone preservation due to soil type, bone mass, species, bone type, and cultural practices

What cultural factors can cause differential bone preservation at a site?

Cultural practices such as intentionally breaking bones or feeding food leftovers to domestic animals such as dogs and pigs.

What are the four common standard methods of presenting faunal data?

1) Number of Identified Specimens (NISP) 2) Bone Measurement 3) Bone Weight 4) Minimum Number of Individuals (MNI)

How is the Number of Identified Specimens (NISP) calculated and recorded?

It is a count of the number of bones identified, where remains are divided by species and skeletal elements are recorded (including body side, portion, and modifications like butchering marks or burning).

What is the purpose of recording bone measurements in faunal analysis?

To help distinguish between different species, between domestic and wild forms, and between sexes.

In what two ways can bone weight be utilized in faunal analysis?

1) The weight of individual bones can estimate the actual live body weight of the animal. 2) The weight of a small sample of elements can predict the actual number of elements in a much larger sample.

What does Minimum Number of Individuals (MNI) measure in faunal analysis?

The minimum number of individual animals that the faunal sample represents.

How does bone fusion serve as an indicator of an animal's age at death?

The ends (epiphyses) of bones do not fuse to the shafts (diaphyses) until adulthood, and different bones fuse at specific ages; unfused elements indicate juveniles, while fused elements indicate adults.

If an assemblage contains 1 deer right mandible, 1 deer left fused metacarpal, 1 deer right unfused metacarpal, 1 coyote skull, and 1 coyote right femur, what are the NISP and MNI?

NISP is $5$, and MNI is $3$ ($1$ adult deer, $1$ juvenile deer, and $1$ coyote).