Reconstructing prehistoric fishing zones in Palau, Micronesia using fish remains: A blind test of inter‐analyst correspondence

Abstract

Archaeologists routinely reconstruct the types of marine environments fished by past human societies in order to understand economic systems, foraging behaviour, maritime technology and seafaring abilities. These reconstructions are based on ecological data provided by archaeofish identifications, but can be problematic where coarse‐grained designations, such as inshore or pelagic, are used, or the influence of fish behaviour and life history traits on movement between habitats is overlooked. In tropical waters, intra‐family diversity complicates habitat reconstruction by precluding lower‐level taxonomic identifications that provide precise habitat information (e.g. surge channels, dropoffs). Consequently, a single generalised habitat may be imposed on fishes that could be caught in multiple environments, thereby eroding the reliability of fishing zone reconstructions. This study employs the archaeofish assemblage from Chelechol ra Orrak (c. 3000–0 BP), Palau to examine the analytical impact of these variables on fishing habitat reconstruction based on a blind assessment of taxon‐derived environmental data by two analysts. We assesses how analysts’ variable decision protocols for the handling of imprecise environmental data impact resulting habitat exploitation profiles. Our results address the issue of spatial resolution in habitat information gleaned from fish assemblages like Orrak's, with important implications for the interpretation of foraging practices and maritime adaptations.

Assessing foraging variability on small islands in Manu‘a (American Samoa) during the first millennium BC

“…This level of resolution was deemed suitable for this study, especially as comparisons between sites were by fish assigned to predominantly the family‐ and less so genus‐level (also see discussions in Giovas et al . (2017) and Weisler and Green (2013)).…”

“…Giovas, 2016;Newsom and Wing, 2004) were assigned to fish taxa in order to examine broad scale distinctions in species selection and targeted fishing zones. This level of resolution was deemed suitable for this study, especially as comparisons between sites were by fish assigned to predominantly the family-and less so genus-level (also see discussions in Giovas et al (2017) and Weisler and Green (2013)).…”

Blind test evaluation of consistency in macroscopic lithic raw material sorting

“…Blind testing is a highly important method in archaeology, especially when dealing with techniques which might be affected by human biases and subjectivity, allowing the identification of weaknesses within the examined technique (Evans, ). Rots, Pirnay, Pirson, and Baudoux () define blind tests as “an objective means to evaluate the accuracy of information retrieved by a specific method.” Indeed, blind tests are commonly used in microwear and macrowear studies (Bamforth, ; Bamforth, Burns, & Woodman, ; Newcomer, Grace, & Unger‐Hamilton, ; Rots et al, ), residue analysis (Hayes, Cnuts, Lepers, & Rots, ; Lombard & Wadley, ; Rots, Hayes, Cnuts, Lepers, & Fullagar, ; Wadley & Lombard, ; Wadley, Lombard, & Williamson, ), archaeozoological studies (Blumenschine, Marean, & Capaldo, ; Giovas, Lambrides, Fitzpatrick, & Kataoka, ; Gobalet, ; Lloveras, Moreno‐García, Nadal, & Thomas, ; Morin, Ready, Boileau, Beauval, & Coumont, ), micromorphology (Shahack‐Gross, ), and radiocarbon dating (Kim et al, ; Olsen et al, ). However, so far, no such tests have been applied to macroscopic raw material sorting (but see Ferguson & Warren, ; Price, Carr, & Bradbury, ).…”

Sustained prehistoric exploitation of a Marshall Islands fishery: ichthyoarchaeological approaches, marine resource use, and human-environment interactions on Ebon Atoll

“…Blind testing is a good approach for identifying limitations in current methods and protocols that require further refinement (e.g., Giovas et al 2017;.…”

“…Marine habitat complexity is highest on leeward islets , but unlike molluscs (e.g., , fish taxa are difficult to link to specific windward/leeward marine environments, as they track across many marine habitats daily, seasonally, and annually. However, certain fish taxa are strongly associated with certain substrate types, which vary in dominance between windward vs. leeward marine habitats, and this variability can be assessed (e.g., Giovas et al 2017). …”