P1: KNP 9780521887496pre CUFX260-Lyman 978 521 88749 February 27, 2008 11:23 This page intentionally left blank ii P1: KNP 9780521887496pre CUFX260-Lyman 978 521 88749 February 27, 2008 11:23 Quantitative Paleozoology Quantitative Paleozoology describes and illustrates how the remains of long-dead animals recovered from archaeological and paleontological excavations can be studied and analyzed The methods range from determining how many animals of each species are represented to determining whether one collection consists of more broken and more burned bones than another All methods are described and illustrated with data from real collections, while numerous graphs illustrate various quantitative properties R LEE LYMAN is professor of anthropology at the University of Missouri-Columbia A scholar of late Quaternary paleomammology and human prehistory of the Pacific Northwest United States, he is the author of Vertebrate Taphonomy, and, most recently, the coeditor of Zooarchaeology and Conservation Biology i P1: KNP 9780521887496pre CUFX260-Lyman 978 521 88749 February 27, 2008 ii 11:23 P1: KNP 9780521887496pre CUFX260-Lyman 978 521 88749 February 27, 2008 11:23 Cambridge Manuals in Archaeology General Editor Graeme Barker, University of Cambridge Advisory Editors Elizabeth Slater, University of Liverpool Peter Bogucki, Princeton University Cambridge Manuals in Archaeology is a series of reference handbooks designed for an international audience of upper-level undergraduate and graduate students and for professional archaeologists and archaeological scientists in universities, museums, research laboratories, and field units Each book includes a survey of current archaeological practice alongside essential reference material on contemporary techniques and methodology Books in the series Pottery in Archaeology, CLIVE ORTON, PAUL TYERS, and ALAN VINCE Vertebrate Taphonomy, R LEE LYMAN Photography in Archaeology and Conservation, 2nd edition, PETER G DORRELL Alluvial Geoarchaeology, A G BROWN Shells, CHERYL CLAASEN Sampling in Archaeology, CLIVE ORTON Excavation, STEVE ROSKAMS Teeth, 2nd edition, SIMON HILLSON Lithics, 2nd edition, WILLIAM ANDREFSKY, JR Geographical Information Systems in Archaeology, JAMES CONOLLY and MARK LAKE Demography in Archaeology, ANDREW CHAMBERLAIN Analytical Chemistry in Archaeology, A M POLLARD, C M BATT, B STERN, and S M M YOUNG Zooarchaeology, 2nd edition, ELIZABETH J REITZ and ELIZABETH S WING iii P1: KNP 9780521887496pre CUFX260-Lyman 978 521 88749 February 27, 2008 iv 11:23 P1: KNP 9780521887496pre CUFX260-Lyman 978 521 88749 February 27, 2008 11:23 Quantitative Paleozoology R Lee Lyman University of Missouri-Columbia v CAMBRIDGE UNIVERSITY PRESS Cambridge, New York, Melbourne, Madrid, Cape Town, Singapore, São Paulo Cambridge University Press The Edinburgh Building, Cambridge CB2 8RU, UK Published in the United States of America by Cambridge University Press, New York www.cambridge.org Information on this title: www.cambridge.org/9780521887496 © R Lee Lyman 2008 This publication is in copyright Subject to statutory exception and to the provision of relevant collective licensing agreements, no reproduction of any part may take place without the written permission of Cambridge University Press First published in print format 2008 ISBN-13 978-0-511-38646-6 eBook (EBL) ISBN-13 978-0-521-88749-6 hardback ISBN-13 978-0-521-71536-2 paperback Cambridge University Press has no responsibility for the persistence or accuracy of urls for external or third-party internet websites referred to in this publication, and does not guarantee that any content on such websites is, or will remain, accurate or appropriate P1: KNP 9780521887496pre CUFX260-Lyman 978 521 88749 February 27, 2008 11:23 CONTENTS List of figures List of tables Preface page xi xvii xxi Tallying and Counting: Fundamentals Paleozoological Concepts Mathematical and Statistical Concepts Scales of Measurement Measured and Target Variables: Reliability and Validity Absolute and Relative Frequencies and Closed Arrays Discussion Background of Some Faunal Samples 8 11 13 16 17 Estimating Taxonomic Abundances: NISP and MNI The Number of Identified Specimens (NISP) Advantages of NISP Problems with NISP Problems, Schmoblems A Problem We Should Worry About The Minimum Number of Individuals (MNI) Strengths(?) of MNI Problems with MNI Aggregation Defining Aggregates Discussion Which Scale of Measurement? Resolution Conclusion 21 27 28 29 30 36 38 43 45 57 67 69 71 78 81 vii P1: KNP 9780521887496pre CUFX260-Lyman viii 978 521 88749 February 27, 2008 11:23 contents Estimating Taxonomic Abundances: Other Methods Biomass and Meat Weight Measuring Biomass Problems with Measuring Biomass (based on MNI) Solving Some Problems in Biomass Measurement Measuring Meat Weight The Weight Method (Skeletal Mass Allometry) Bone Weight Bone Size and Animal Size Allometry Ubiquity Matching and Pairing More Pairs Means Fewer Individuals The Lincoln–Petersen Index Identifying Bilateral Pairs Correcting for Various Things Size Discussion 83 84 85 86 88 89 93 102 108 114 119 121 123 129 134 137 139 Sampling, Recovery, and Sample Size Sampling to Redundancy Excavation Amount NISP as a Measure of Sample Redundancy Volume Excavated or NISP The Influences of Recovery Techniques Hand Picking Specimens by Eye Screen Mesh Size To Correct or Not to Correct for Differential Loss Summary The Species−Area Relationship Species−Area Curves Are Not All the Same Nestedness Conclusion 141 143 144 146 149 152 152 154 156 158 159 164 167 171 Measuring the Taxonomic Structure and Composition (“Diversity”) of Faunas Basic Variables of Structure and Composition Indices of Structure and Similarity Taxonomic Richness Taxonomic Composition 172 174 178 179 185 ... Missouri-Columbia v CAMBRIDGE UNIVERSITY PRESS Cambridge, New York, Melbourne, Madrid, Cape Town, Singapore, São Paulo Cambridge University Press The Edinburgh Building, Cambridge CB2 8RU, UK... 9780521887496pre CUFX260-Lyman 978 521 88749 February 27, 2008 iv 11:23 P1: KNP 9780521887496pre CUFX260-Lyman 978 521 88749 February 27, 2008 11:23 Quantitative Paleozoology R Lee Lyman University. .. the United States of America by Cambridge University Press, New York www .cambridge. org Information on this title: www .cambridge. org/97 80521887496 © R Lee Lyman 2008 This publication is in copyright