Thesis
Investigations of human gnawing on small mammal bones: Among contemporary Bofi foragers of the Central African Republic
Washington State University
Master of Arts (MA), Washington State University
2004
Handle:
https://hdl.handle.net/2376/198
Abstract
Ethnoarchaeology is one way in which archaeologists address questions regarding cultural influences in archaeological collections. This thesis utilizes faunal remains from Bofi foragers in the Central African Republic to help understand the influence of human mastication in archaeological faunal assemblages. Since, Bofi foragers rely on small game animals for the main portion of their protein intake, they provide a contemporary environment in which archaeologists can understand how humans modify the remains of small prey animals. Microand macroscopic features of human toothmarks are an under-documented source of taphonomic modification. The quantitative and qualitative results of this analysis indicate that human toothmark identification is a viable tool for zooarchaeologists in identifying a human presence in small mammal assemblages. The underlying question throughout this thesis concerns an archaeologist's ability to locate the presence of humans in zooarchaeological assemblages by recognizing their subtle influence in archaeological faunal collections. While results from this analysis indicate that humans and other carnivores create similar micro-morphological signatures of consumption, comparisons of the frequencies and degree of damage between this collection and other reported carnivore gnawed collections indicate that humans consume bone differently than do other predators. By not fully consuming small mammal bone, humans may leave an archaeologically visible signature of their presence and interaction in faunal assemblages. The results presented in this thesis are strong enough to warrant additional archaeological and ethnographical research in the realm of human and non-human mastication. If future research supports the conclusions presented in this thesis, then archaeologists will be better able to discuss diet breadth models, optimal foraging strategies, behavioral ecology and any number of theoretical topics that include human and small animal interactions.
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Details
- Title
- Investigations of human gnawing on small mammal bones
- Creators
- Matthew John Landt
- Contributors
- Karen Lupo (Degree Supervisor)
- Awarding Institution
- Washington State University
- Academic Unit
- Anthropology, Department of
- Theses and Dissertations
- Master of Arts (MA), Washington State University
- Publisher
- Washington State University; Pullman, Wash. :
- Identifiers
- 99900525140601842
- Language
- English
- Resource Type
- Thesis