Archaeology Labs Tour!Archaeology Labs Tour!

--SeeSee ongoing research for ongoing research for projects in New Mexico, projects in New Mexico, California, and beyond!California, and beyond!--MeetMeet advanced advanced undergradate undergradate archaeology track archaeology track students!students!--LearnLearn about about opportunities for opportunities for independent study, independent study, senior thesis projects, senior thesis projects, and other ways to and other ways to engage with high level engage with high level scholarship!scholarship!

Archaeology Labs Tour!Archaeology Labs Tour!Friday, May 13th, Friday, May 13th,

To To participateparticipate:: 1. Talk/email to your TAs1. Talk/email to your TAs 2. Discuss your interests2. Discuss your interests 3. TAs will send lists of recommended 3. TAs will send lists of recommended

students to me next weekstudents to me next week 4. I will contact you by email with details 4. I will contact you by email with details

and invite you to join us!and invite you to join us! 5. Bring questions and dress for lab 5. Bring questions and dress for lab

environmentsenvironments

PALEOECOLOGY & PALEOECOLOGY & BIOARCHAEOLOGYBIOARCHAEOLOGY

Studying Environment, Studying Environment, Human Ecology, & Human Ecology, &

SubsistenceSubsistence

Charlotte Cooper, UCSCAnthropology 3 Lecture

Lecture Outline:Lecture Outline:

What is zooarchaeology?What is zooarchaeology? Taphonomy & Actualistic StudiesTaphonomy & Actualistic Studies How do bones help us understand How do bones help us understand

past subsistence and past subsistence and paleoenvironments?paleoenvironments?

To study diet & paleoecology:To study diet & paleoecology:

Bones, teethBones, teethArtifactsArtifacts

Seeds, shells, pollen, etc.Seeds, shells, pollen, etc.

ZooarchaeologyZooarchaeology

Study of Study of animalanimal remains,remains, with with archaeological aimsarchaeological aims

Bones, teeth, shells, fish Bones, teeth, shells, fish

scalesscales Zooarchaeologists train Zooarchaeologists train

as archaeologistsas archaeologists, also , also study with zoologists, study with zoologists, botanists, paleontologistsbotanists, paleontologists

Must Consider: Must Consider: TaphonomyTaphonomy

TaphosTaphos - burial, - burial, nomosnomos - law or system - law or system Processes affecting remains Processes affecting remains from from

death to recoverydeath to recovery (excav.) (excav.) Term from paleontologyTerm from paleontology Differential preservation → “biases”Differential preservation → “biases” Postmortem processes “bias” Postmortem processes “bias”

samples, samples, but but addadd info info on humans & on humans & ecologyecology

Taphonomy & Taphonomy & ZooarchaeologyZooarchaeology

Analyze for traces of Analyze for traces of modifying modifying agents (taphonomy is part of site agents (taphonomy is part of site formation processes, recall last formation processes, recall last lecture):lecture): humanhuman (butchery, tool-making, etc.) (butchery, tool-making, etc.) non-humannon-human (carnivores, weathering (carnivores, weathering

etc.)etc.) Aided by Aided by actualisticactualistic research research

Actualistic ResearchActualistic Research

Methodological approach, middle-range theory:Methodological approach, middle-range theory: Create “experiments” on bones to see the resulting Create “experiments” on bones to see the resulting

modifications of human behaviors or non-human modifications of human behaviors or non-human processesprocesses

Compare bones from those controlled experiments Compare bones from those controlled experiments with what is seen on bone from archaeological siteswith what is seen on bone from archaeological sites

Conclude that the probable cause of modifications in Conclude that the probable cause of modifications in both cases may be the same/differentboth cases may be the same/different

Actualistic Research: Actualistic Research: ExamplesExamples

Human impacts on Human impacts on bone:bone: Butchery (cutmarks)Butchery (cutmarks) Cooking (burning)Cooking (burning) Making tools from Making tools from

bones (awls)bones (awls) Transport of Transport of

carcasses from carcasses from hunting site to hunting site to basecamps basecamps (Nunamuit, by (Nunamuit, by Binford)Binford)

Actualistic Research: ExampleActualistic Research: Example

Now, what can archaeological Now, what can archaeological bones tell us about the past bones tell us about the past

and subsistence?and subsistence?

Before leaping to inferences Before leaping to inferences from faunal specimens, how from faunal specimens, how

do we count animals in a do we count animals in a site?site?

NISPNISP = = Number of Identifiable Number of Identifiable (to (to species level) species level) Specimens Specimens in a samplein a sample

MNIMNI = = Minimum Number of Minimum Number of Individuals Individuals that that mustmust have been acquired to have been acquired to

get the total of bones in sampleget the total of bones in sample ExampleExample: 16 left jaw bones at a site mean that : 16 left jaw bones at a site mean that

a minimum of 16 animals contributed left jawsa minimum of 16 animals contributed left jaws

Overview of what we can Overview of what we can know:know:

Site use: Site use: Dating via collagen Dating via collagen SeasonalitySeasonality

Diet: Diet: Species choiceSpecies choice

Hunting/transport methodsHunting/transport methods Social context: Social context:

Gender, class, ethnicityGender, class, ethnicity Environment: Environment:

Context of sites and changes in Context of sites and changes in environmentenvironment

Site Use: SeasonalitySite Use: Seasonality Migratory species present Migratory species present

seasonallyseasonally fish (e.g. salmon), birds fish (e.g. salmon), birds

(e.g. swallows)(e.g. swallows) Antler & tooth Antler & tooth

developmentdevelopment Age of animal at death, Age of animal at death,

used with known birth used with known birth season to determine season to determine season of harvestingseason of harvesting

Example Example Olsen-Chubbuck Olsen-Chubbuck bison kill sitebison kill site

Note: seasonality of the Note: seasonality of the site may ≠ total span of site may ≠ total span of site use by humanssite use by humans

Diet, Hunting, Diet, Hunting, TransportTransport

Species selectionSpecies selection

Hunting techniques (technology)Hunting techniques (technology) Domestication of animals, herdingDomestication of animals, herding Transport of whole carcass or portionsTransport of whole carcass or portions

Nutrition in parts of carcass Nutrition in parts of carcass (meat, brains, marrow)(meat, brains, marrow)

Species NISP at CA-MNT-234

123

33

20

11675

62

195

32

7

Pinniped indet.

Otariid indet.

Arctocephaline indet.

Zalophus californianus

Arctocephalustownsendi

Callorhinus ursinus

Eumatopias jubatus

Phoca vitulina

Enhydra lutris

Mammal

Subsistence & Social RelationsSubsistence & Social Relations Various groups in a society may have Various groups in a society may have differing differing

accessaccess to animal foods to animal foods age, gender, classage, gender, class

Need good Need good contextual relationscontextual relations (separate (separate areas with different animal remains, etc.)areas with different animal remains, etc.)

Cross-check with Cross-check with human bone isotopeshuman bone isotopes Examples:Examples:

Ethnicity: element selection, butchery techniques, Ethnicity: element selection, butchery techniques, cuisine (including preparation, presentation, disposal cuisine (including preparation, presentation, disposal of food)of food)

Jun Sunseri @ El Rito (colonial N.M.)Jun Sunseri @ El Rito (colonial N.M.) Class: Class:

CahokiaCahokia

Peak at 1110-1200 AD: Peak at 1110-1200 AD: City covered six miles, City covered six miles, 20,000 residents20,000 residents

Agriculture (corn, squash, Agriculture (corn, squash, sunflowers)sunflowers)

Divine chief, elite class, Divine chief, elite class, commonerscommoners Chief=control food Chief=control food

surpluses (stored crops, surpluses (stored crops, meat, fish)meat, fish)

How might this look How might this look in bones?in bones?

PaleoenvironmentsPaleoenvironments

SpeciesSpecies’ requirements and biology ’ requirements and biology reflect reflect environmentenvironment microfauna better than macrofauna (shorter microfauna better than macrofauna (shorter

life cycles and not as quick to migrate)life cycles and not as quick to migrate) size/quality of an animal’s population is size/quality of an animal’s population is

dependent upon the environmentdependent upon the environment

Understand Understand humanhuman reaction to reaction to environmental stochasticity by species environmental stochasticity by species available/chosenavailable/chosen Includes theory of behavioral ecology, optimal Includes theory of behavioral ecology, optimal

foragingforaging

Reconstructing Reconstructing PaleoenvironmentsPaleoenvironments

Example: Moss Example: Moss Landing, CALanding, CA Northern fur seal Northern fur seal

paleoecologypaleoecology Value: fatty, largeValue: fatty, large

How much human How much human hunting would have hunting would have led to seal led to seal extinction?extinction?

10% female seals 10% female seals locally leads to locally leads to extinction within 100 extinction within 100 years.years.

Other Approaches to Diet:Other Approaches to Diet: Stable Isotope Analysis of Human Stable Isotope Analysis of Human

BoneBone Fine-grained: Fine-grained: reflects individual reflects individual

intakeintake Carbon Carbon ratiosratios [[1212C:C:1313C]: C]: plant foodsplant foods Strontium:nitrogen Strontium:nitrogen ratios=ratios=sea vs sea vs

land animal foodsland animal foods Cemeteries: show gender and Cemeteries: show gender and

class differences in diet class differences in diet in a in a populationpopulation

To learn more, see next week’s To learn more, see next week’s faunal activity in section…faunal activity in section…

50,000 B.C.—Gak Eisenberg invents the first and last silent mammoth whistle.