The small site archaeology has a remarkable potential to contribute on many greater issues in archaeological studies. Similarly, micro dimensional data of any category should prove to be of great importance if studied judiciously. The present paper intends to point out this very fact with a special reference to skeletal remains of micromammals in the category of rodents as a special case. This topic has been specifically undertaken because it is largely observed that such skeletal material tends to be overlooked and sometimes even totally discarded as of no archaeological significance. Rats and mice (muroids, Order: Rodentia) are one of the world’s ubiquitous small rodents whose antiquity in India goes back to the Tertiary period. Its skeletal remains have been reported from several archaeological sites in India with temporal range of about 20 ka. Rodents have the potential to provide palaeoenvironmental information not attainable from other animal groups. The fact is well appreciated in palaeoentology but unfortunately remains to be confronted in archaeological context so far. The present paper ventures to ponder upon the possibilities of palaeoenvironmental interpretations of rodent fauna in archaeological record. A sizable assemblage of microvertebrates excavated from an Early Historic site of Kopia, Dist. Sant Kabirnagar (Uttar Pradesh state of India) offers a case study of microfaunal interpretations. Evidence of muroid’s contribution to the diet of ancient human population is discussed with reference to several existing hunting gathering communities practicing small game and the Musehars, aborigines living in the interiors of Gangetic plains. It provides a ready database for the dietary inferences with regard to the rodent fauna that are interpreted from archaeological perspective. The paper demonstrates multifold implications of evidence of rats and mice in archaeololgical record that have significant bearing on the ecology, subsistence and behavioural archaeology.

中文翻译：

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较小但不是次要的：印度考古环境中啮齿动物的证据

小遗址考古学具有巨大的潜力，可以为考古学研究中的许多更大问题做出贡献。同样，如果认真研究，任何类别的微观数据都应被证明非常重要。本文旨在指出这一事实，特别提到了啮齿类动物中的微小哺乳动物的骨骼残留。之所以专门讨论这个话题，是因为人们普遍观察到，这种骨骼材料往往被忽略，有时甚至由于没有考古意义而被完全丢弃。鼠（鼠类动物，订单：啮齿类）是世界上无处不在的小型啮齿动物之一，其在印度的古代可以追溯到第三纪。据报道，其骨骼遗骸来自印度几个考古遗址，时间范围约为20 ka。啮齿动物具有提供其他动物无法获得的古环境信息的潜力。这一事实在古生物学中广为人知，但不幸的是，到目前为止，在考古学背景下仍然有待解决。本文冒险考虑考古记录中啮齿类动物的古环境解释的可能性。从Dist的Kopia的早期历史遗址发掘出来的大量微型脊椎动物。Sant Kabirnagar（印度北方邦）提供了微动物解释的案例研究。讨论了类固醇对古代人类饮食的贡献的证据，并参考了一些现存的从事小型狩猎活动的狩猎采集社区和生活在恒河平原内部的土著居民Musehars。它为从啮齿类动物的考古学角度解释的啮齿类动物的饮食推断提供了一个现成的数据库。本文证明了考古记录中大鼠和小鼠证据的多重含义，这些证据对生态学，生存和行为考古学具有重要意义。