Archaeological Skeletal Part Profiles and Differential Transport: An Ethnoarchaeological Example from Hadza Bone Assemblages

Abstract

Skeletal profiles of medium-sized prey (>40 kg) are often used by archaeologists as one line of evidence to infer prehistoric body-part transport patterns. However, recent theoretical and ethnoarchaeological research is divided over the types of bone assemblages that have the best potential for accurately reflecting transport and discard patterns. This paper quantitatively evaluates the usefulness of skeletal part profiles as evidence of differential transport from ethnoarchaeological Hadza bone assemblages. Skeletal part abundances from different types of Hadza sites (butchering sites, a hunting blind, and a residential base) are compared to previously reported observations of body part transport/discard decisions (O'Connell et al. 1988, 1990). Analysis of these assemblages suggests that observed Hadza transport/discard decisions are more accurately reflected by small-scale, single-event butchering stands. Larger-sized bone assemblages representing amalgamations of many butchering events poorly reflect observed transport and discard patterns. The results of this analysis show that under circumstances where prey are singly acquired, small sites may reveal a far more accurate picture of prehistoric body-part transport patterns than large and highly visible archaeological sites.