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No description available.

Thesis (Honors)--College of William and Mary, 2009. / Includes bibliographical references (leaves 56-62). Also available via the World Wide Web.

Incremental growth rings in X-rays of salmon vertebrae have been used since the 1980s to age Pacific salmon (Oncorhynchus spp.) remains from archaeological sites in the Pacific Northwest. These age estimates, paired with generalized life history patterns, have been used to determine salmon species, season of capture and in turn season of site occupation. This approach relies on a variety of assumptions, the most fundamental of which is that rings represent true years. Archaeologists using vertebral age determination techniques have failed to adequately test this assumption and present their methodologies. This thesis assesses the validity of using incremental growth structures in Chinook salmon (Oncorhynchus tshawytscha) vertebrae to determine the age at death of fish represented in archaeological sites. This project develops criteria and a protocol for the identification of true annuli and tests these identifications on a collection of modern Chinook salmon of known age. Finally, this protocol is applied to archaeological remains of Chinook from Cathlapotle (45CL1). Three collections of modern known age fish (N=121) were used to evaluate and test approaches to aging Chinook salmon with vertebrae. These collections contained juvenile and adult Chinook from throughout Washington and Oregon. I evaluated a variety of methods for viewing rings including magnified surface images, X-ray images and thin sections to determine which is the most accurate, reliable and efficient, also considering the extent of specimen destruction. Rings visible in X-rays were found to reflect the internal structure of vertebrae rather than annular growth. The number of these internal walls did not correspond to the known ages of fish and are therefore not true annuli. Criteria previously described by salmon fisheries biologist were used to isolate annuli (on the centrum surface) on the Hanford reach collection (N=46). In a test for accuracy 39 (85%) were aged correctly. In a test of reliability utilizing five additional readers all but 14 cases showed discrepancies among readers. Results of the test of reliability were not as successful as other researchers in fisheries biology but given the high accuracy rate the method remains valid. The final goal of this project was to determine the feasibility of applying the surface ring method of age determination to archaeological collections. Archaeological salmon vertebrae from Cathlapotle (45CL1) on the lower Columbia River, Washington state were utilized. One hundred salmon vertebrae were selected and classified to species according to Huber et al. (2011); 89 were identified as Chinook. Of these, 39 had sufficient preservation of the surface to view and interpret incremental rings. Three ages were identified 3, 4 and 5 year olds. This ageing protocol can be applied to archaeological Chinook salmon vertebrae to estimate age of ancient Chinook salmon. Additional work is needed on other salmon species to demonstrate the methods validity across all salmonid species. This analysis has great potential for modeling salmon paleo-life history by contributing data from salmon populations prior to the major impacts of the 19th and 20th century. This is particularly valuable for salmon conservation because information on size, the timing and duration of freshwater emigration as well as the age of spawning and death is critical to the management of hatchery and wild salmon populations.

A thesis submitted to the Faculty of Science, University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, in fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy. 2016 / The analysis of faunal remains from archaeological sites can reveal much about past behaviour, palaeoenvironments and bone technology. This is especially pertinent for the Middle Stone Age (MSA): a period that corresponds to both the behavioural and anatomical development of Homo sapiens. In this thesis, I examine the faunal remains from Blombos Cave (BBC) and Klipdrift Shelter (KDS), two significant MSA sites about 45 km apart along the present-day southern Cape coast. The focus of the analyses is on the Still Bay (SB) layers (c. 75 – 68 thousand years ago [ka]) at BBC and the Howiesons Poort (HP) layers (c. 65 – 59 ka) at KDS. The aim of this thesis is to explore subsistence behaviour and environmental conditions during the SB and HP in the fynbos region of the southern Cape. I also investigate the effects of trampling on bone and whether trampling and other types of taphonomic modification can be used to infer occupational intensity in cave and rock shelter sites. Taphonomic data indicate that significant differences exist between the SB and HP faunal assemblages at BBC and KDS, respectively. Carnivores and scavengers had a greater effect on the SB than on the KDS assemblage. Furthermore, subsistence activities at KDS focused on marrow extraction while filleting was probably an important strategy at BBC. Taxonomic analyses indicate that the representative fauna from both sites is generally consistent with what is expected in the fynbos biome but with some noticeable differences. Grazers, for example, are significantly more prevalent at KDS than BBC while seal is more common at BBC. Other zooarchaeological data also show differences in prey selection strategies. Diet breadth is more extensive at KDS than at BBC, although bovid mortality profiles at BBC are more juvenile-dominated. I propose that many of these contrasting patterns imply that subsistence intensification is more evident in the HP layers at KDS than in the SB at BBC. Moreover, the taphonomic data suggest that the SB at BBC was a low-intensity, sporadically occupied period in contrast to the high-intensity occupations, particularly during the middle layers of the HP at KDS. The results of the KDS analysis also indicate a shift in environmental conditions during the HP and show links between prey selection, the environment and occupational intensity during this period. Trampling experiments indicate that trampling can generally be distinguished from butcherymarks, although bioturbation in shelly deposits can sometimes result in marks that mimic cutiii marks. More importantly, experiments show that pitting and abrasion are a more significant indicator of trampling than lines that resemble cut-marks. Based on these experiments, I argue that trampling modification can be used to infer occupational intensity at archaeological sites. Trampling marks in the KDS assemblage, for example, correspond well with the high occupational periods as indicated by other taphonomic data. Trampling and taphonomic data support the notion that BBC was a low-intensity, sporadically occupied site during the SB. By incorporating taxonomic, taphonomic and novel methods of skeletal-part analyses, this study contributes to our knowledge of human subsistence and palaeoenvironments during the SB and HP in the southern Cape. This thesis strengthens and adds to other research that has demonstrated variability in subsistence behaviour during the MSA. / LG2017

Long-term human dietary change is a poorly understood aspect of Columbia Plateau prehistory. Faunal assemblages from thirty-four archaeological sites on the Plateau are organized into fifteen aggregate assemblages that are defined spatially and temporally. These assemblages are examined in terms of a focal-diffuse model using ecological measures of diversity, richness and evenness. Variability and patterning in the prehistoric subsistence record is indicated. Major trends in human diet and shifts in subsistence economies are documented and the relationship between subsistence and some initial semi-sedentary adaptations on the Plateau is clarified.

An intra-site faunal analysis utilizing archaeological, historical and documentary resources is conducted to identify, analyze and interpret the distribution of avian faunal remains to reveal patterns that reflect the production, use and disposal of bird species at the Lanier State Historic Site in Madison, Indiana. The materials are analyzed from a viable stratified sample from primary (i.e., poultry house, kitchen, yard areas) and secondary contexts for comparison. Analysis shows a correlation between primary contexts associated with areas of activities associated with the production, use and disposal of bird remains. Organizational behaviors relevant to small-scale poultry production, with a focus on chickens, are considered in order to explain connections between behaviors and the archaeologically recovered remains (material by-products of behavior). / Department of Anthropology

Thesis (Ph. D.)--University of California, San Diego, 2007. / Title from first page of PDF file (viewed June 13, 2007). Available via ProQuest Digital Dissertations. Vita. Includes bibliographical references (p. 338-387).

Based on a thesis (Ph.D.)--University of York, 2006. / Includes bibliographical references.

Thesis (M.S.)--Florida State University, 2004. / Advisor: Dr. Rochelle Marrinan, Florida State University, College of Arts and Sciences, Dept. of Anthropology. Title and description from dissertation home page (viewed Jan. 18, 2005). Includes bibliographical references.