Abstract
This paper outlines the methods adopted for creating a fish osteological reference collection for tropical Australasia. This collection currently contains bones from 52 fish representing 35 different species found in the Gulf of Carpentaria, Australia. This developing collection has become a valuable resource for zooarchaeological analyses in the Queensland, Torres Strait and Papua New Guinea tropical coastal zone. Ongoing development of the collection to include specimens from a wider geographic area will further support fish bone research across the region.
Highlights
Coastal archaeological sites in tropical Australasia characteristically contain accumulations of marine faunal remains, such as molluscan shells and animal bones
While the majority of faunal material is molluscan in nature, there is usually a small percentage of fish bone, which has the potential to significantly inform discussions regarding human foraging choices and environmental change
Despite the importance of fish remains, with the exception of western Torres Strait (e.g. David and Weisler 2006; McNiven et al 2008), few detailed studies exist for the northern Australasian region owing to the small number of analysts and the availability of appropriate reference collections
Summary
Coastal archaeological sites in tropical Australasia ( shell middens) characteristically contain accumulations of marine faunal remains, such as molluscan shells and animal bones (especially fish, marine mammals and marine reptiles). While the majority of faunal material is molluscan in nature, there is usually a small percentage of fish bone, which has the potential to significantly inform discussions regarding human foraging choices and environmental change. Recovery techniques have significantly impacted on the representation of fish bone from archaeological deposits. Walters (1979) found that as much as 80% of fish remains passed through 3mm mesh (based on analysis of a single 661.6g bulk sample). Walters’ study demonstrated that the use of larger mesh sizes biased recovery against some fish taxa with small diagnostic skeletal elements, such as mullet and whiting
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