ABSTRACT

Recovery methods and techniques for archaeological sampling can yield major differences in abundance and anatomo-taxonomical representation of animals, affecting past social and ecological reconstruction. Despite being a common organic material in archaeological sites, faunal remains typically exhibit differential preservation of species and skeletal elements due to pre- and post-depositional processes. This is particularly true for small-sized animals such as certain species of fish, whose often small and fragile fragments are difficult to recover and identify. Here, we present the results of a comparative analysis between two ichthyoarchaeological assemblages from Caleta Vitor 3 in northern Chile (CV3, 18°45′09″ S), an Early to Middle Holocene (9.2–7.6 ka cal BP) Chinchorro shell midden site. We compare samples obtained and processed, both in the field and the lab, using different recovery techniques. We developed a data standardisation procedure to compare and evaluate skeletal representation, taxa distribution and variations throughout the stratigraphic sequence. Our results show that mesh screen size affects not only the abundance and density of fish but also species representation. Moreover, the identification of small pelagic fish at CV3 sheds further light upon prehistoric fishing strategies and social organisation during the site’s early occupation.

摘要

考古采样的恢复方法和技术可能会导致动物的丰度和解剖分类学代表性产生重大差异，从而影响过去的社会和生态重建。尽管动物遗骸是考古遗址中常见的有机材料，但由于沉积前和沉积后的过程，动物遗骸通常表现出物种和骨骼元素的差异保存。对于某些鱼类等小型动物来说尤其如此，它们的碎片通常又小又脆弱，很难回收和识别。在这里，我们展示了智利北部 Caleta Vitor 3（CV3，18°45′09″ S）的两个鱼类考古组合的比较分析结果，这是一个早至中全新世（9.2-7.6 ka cal BP）新克罗贝壳遗址。我们比较获得和处理的样品，在现场和实验室，使用不同的恢复技术。我们开发了一个数据标准化程序来比较和评估整个地层序列的骨骼表示、分类单元分布和变化。我们的结果表明，筛网尺寸不仅影响鱼类的丰度和密度，还影响物种代表性。此外，在 CV3 发现的小型中上层鱼类进一步揭示了该地点早期占领期间的史前捕鱼策略和社会组织。我们的结果表明，筛网尺寸不仅影响鱼类的丰度和密度，还影响物种代表性。此外，在 CV3 发现的小型中上层鱼类进一步揭示了该地点早期占领期间的史前捕鱼策略和社会组织。我们的结果表明，筛网尺寸不仅影响鱼类的丰度和密度，还影响物种代表性。此外，在 CV3 发现的小型中上层鱼类进一步揭示了该地点早期占领期间的史前捕鱼策略和社会组织。