Bone Distribution in a Semi-arid Riverine Habitat in Eastern Zaire: Implications for the Interpretation of Faunal Assemblages at Early Archaeological Sites

Abstract

A taphonomic study of bone distribution on the modern landsurface was undertaken along the Ishasha River in a semi-arid region of the Virunga National Park, eastern Zaire. This habitat is a useful environmental analogue for many of the riverine settings in which early archaeological sites in East Africa were preserved. Bone assemblages were surveyed on transects sampling gallery forest and grassland habitats along the eastern bank of the Ishasha River. Taxonomic representation broadly reflected the abundance of large mammals in the local community. Bones were found to occur at relatively high densities compared to other East African study areas, with a higher representation of limb elements than has been found in other riparian landscape taphonomic studies in East Africa. The unique patterns of the Ishasha surface bone assemblage are probably due to both the physiognomic structure and biotic diversity of the habitat, and to the intensive sampling methods employed in the study.