Fish Remains at Man Bac

Abstract

Many fish remains were recovered from excavations at Man Bac during the 2005 and 2007 seasons. This chapter focuses on the identification of fish remains recovered in the 2004-5 season, with some general observations made on the 2007 assemblage. In addition, a discussion of the aquatic palaeoenvironment surrounding the site and the fishing activities of its inhabitants is outlined here. The analysis was carried out at the Institute of Archaeology, Hanoi in 2008. The elements considered for identification were maxillaries, premaxillaries, dentaries, angulars, quadrates, vertebrae and other identifiable elements. These specimens were identified through comparison with skeletal specimens of modern fishes. MATERIALS AND RESULTS Identifications The identification results are shown in Table 10.1. A total of 722 specimens were available for analysis. Separating them by strata; specifically Layer I, II, and III, yielded 561, 121, and 40 specimens respectively, with most of the specimens coming from Layer I, and the number decreasing in the lower layers. As with the mammalian assemblage (see Chapter 9) the Man Bac fish assemblage was collected by a combination of in situ recovery during excavation and the wet sieving of two excavation squares (squares E3 and G1). Among the material analysed, 692 specimens were identified to the level of order or lower, and 4 taxa of Chondrichthyes (Elasmobranchii) plus 10 taxa of Osteichthyes (Teleostei) were identified. In addition, there were 25 unidentified Osteichthyes specimens (Figure 10.1, No. 13-17). Acanthopagrus sp. (black seabreams) were the most numerous (54% of total MNI), followed by Lates calcarifer (barramundi), Siluriformes (catfishes), Rajiformes (rays), Lamnidae / Lamniformes (sharks), and Serranidae (groupers). This pattern is basically the same from Layer I to Layer III (Table 10.2, Figure 10.2). Brief Description of the Dominant Taxa Because a comparison with modern fish specimens was insufficiently detailed, the identification of the Elasmobranchii (Sharks and Rays) remains uncertain. Most of the shark vertebrae are from Carcharhinidae or similar types (Figure 10.1, No. 2),

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“…The region also experiences typhoons that can disrupt agricultural production (Oxenham 2006;Matsumura & Oxenham 2011). While there was less ecological variation in northern Vietnam than the south, there is evidence at Man Bac of the exploitation of fish and deer (Sawada et al 2011;Toizumi et al 2011), as well as the earliest evidence of pig management in northern Vietnam (Jones et al 2019). Additionally, the occupants of Man Bac may have grown rice, as long-grain rice phytoliths have been found in the occupation layers overlying graves (Willis & Oxenham 2013b).…”

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“…Preliminary carbon isotope results suggest a lower reliance on C3 plants, such as rice, than subsequent Bronze and Iron Age assemblages in Vietnam, supporting a gradual intensification of agriculture over time (Oxenham et al, 2011; Yoneda, 2008). Isotopic and faunal evidence demonstrate a continued exploitation of marine, freshwater, estuarine and terrestrial resources, and a mixed subsistence base of foraging and farming is proposed for Man Bac (Jones, 2017; Jones et al, 2019; Sawada et al, 2011; Toizumi et al, 2011; Yoneda, 2008). The Man Bac assemblage comprises a total of 70 individuals with 44 non‐adults under 20 (63%) and 26 adults (37%) (see Table 3).…”

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“…Vitamin A is obtained through animal sources such as fatty fish and egg yolks, and plant sources including dark‐green and orange vegetables (Bloem et al ., ). The evidence for dietary sources of vitamin A available to those living at Man Bac is limited, but it is clear that while large numbers of fish remains were recovered from Man Bac (Toizumi et al ., ), none of them can be classed as vitamin A‐rich fatty fish. It is estimated that in the developing world up to 90% of vitamin A is obtained from plant sources (Bloem et al ., ), however, the amount of retinol obtainable from plants has been found to be low (Nguyen et al ., ), and as recently as the late twentieth century, Vietnam introduced a program of supplementing the diets of pregnant women with vitamin A capsules in order to combat deficiency of this nutrient (Ramakrishnan & Darnton‐Hill, ).…”