Zooarchaeology and Human Trade and Migration

Abstract

Zooarchaeology can be most broadly defined as the systematic study of animal remains from archaeological contexts. One of the primary aims of zooarchaeological research has been to address questions pertaining to the utilization of animal resources by humans, with a particular emphasis on dietary and environmental reconstructions. In most cases, the presence of faunal remains at an archaeological site is assumed to represent the use of locally obtained resources. In recent decades, increasing attention has been devoted to the investigation of faunal evidence pertaining to patterns of human migration and trade. In fact, faunal remains often provide some of the clearest evidence for past human migrations and for long‐distance interactions between groups, such as trade and exchange. Examples of zooarchaeological insights on these topics span a vast range of materials (calculus, coprolites, feathers, hair, horns, shells, teeth, wool, leather and parchment, bones, ivory), scales (local, regional, continental), and behavior (hunting, herding, husbandry, trade, exchange, translocations).

Evidence of a Late Holocene giant barn owl (Aves: Strigiformes: Tytonidae) in Guadeloupe

“…The discovery of a pedal phalanx fragment of a large Tytonid bird from the pre-Columbian site of Roseau suggests a giant barn owl occurred in Guadeloupe sometime between the 11th and 16th centuries. Nonetheless, it remains possible that this singular specimen was transported between islands by indigenous groups, for example in the form of a personal ornament (Laffoon 2018). However, considering that the bone was recovered from a midden (Bochaton et al 2021) and the absence of evidence for the use of owl bones in Caribbean crafts, the most parsimonious interpretation of the Roseau specimen is the presence of a large owl in Guadeloupe during the pre-Columbian period.…”