Open Access
Direct Evidence for the Importance of Small Animals To Prehistoric Diets: a View of Coprolite Studies
Kristin D. Sobolik
- Vol. 14, Iss: 3, pp 227-244
TLDR
The large number of coprolites analyzed from North America reveals direct ingestion of small animals and indicates that small animal remains from sites indeed reflect human dietary patterns.Abstract:
Researchers tend to underestimate or ignore the importance of small animals to the prehistoric diet due to the difficulty of separating cultural from noncultural faunal debris excavated from sites. Human coprolite analyses (dessicated human feces) indicate prehistoric dietary consumption of small animals. The large number of coprolites analyzed from North America reveals direct ingestion of small animals and indicates that small animal remains from sites indeed reflect human dietary patterns. The coprolites reveal that reptiles, birds, bats, and a large variety of rodents were an important and prevalent component of the prehistoric diet.read more
Citations
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The recovery and interpretation of microvertebrate bone assemblages from archaeological contexts
TL;DR: Relevant signatures of bone damage, skeletal survivorship, taxonomic composition, and context are examined in assemblages produced and modified through accidental non-predator-related death, predator accumulation, and postmortem alteration.
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A standardized method for the description and the study of coprolites
TL;DR: A new standardized method for the description and study of coprolites from all periods and sites everywhere in the world is proposed, and an example of a 500,000-year-old coprolite record sheet is presented.
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Earth-oven plant processing in Archaic period economies : An example from a semi-arid savannah in south-central North America
TL;DR: In this paper, the authors used coprolite, faunal, and macroplant analysis of materials recovered from rockshelters to determine the contents of earth-oven features, the number of plant food calories produced by ovens, and the quantity of refuse they generate.
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On Mammalian Taphonomy, Taxonomic Diversity, and Measuring Subsistence Data in Zooarchaeology
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TL;DR: In this paper, the taxonomies de mammiferes dans l'analyse de l'alimentation humaine have been applied in diverses mesures, e.g., quantitative and qualitative analysis.
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Hunter-gatherer Use of Small Animal Food Resources: Coprolite Evidence
TL;DR: In this article, an evaluation of hunter-gatherer coprolites from the Southwest United States shows that animal bone in coprolite can be used to assess patterns of hunting, food preparation, and general importance of small animals in diet.
References
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