Modern fishbone assemblages at Lake Turkana, Kenya: A methodology to aid in recognition of hominid fish utilization

Investigation of the role of fish in the hominid diet has been hindered by difficulty in recognizing hominid-altered fishbone assemblages. Lack of direct evidence of hominid modifications, such as cutmarks, means that anomalies in the composition of the assemblages themselves must be identified. Rec...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Journal of archaeological science 1991-09, Vol.18 (5), p.579-603
Main Author: Stewart, Kathlyn M.
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Environmental studies
Fauna
Fish bones
Fishing
Lake turkana
Methodology and general studies
Prehistory and protohistory
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Summary:Investigation of the role of fish in the hominid diet has been hindered by difficulty in recognizing hominid-altered fishbone assemblages. Lack of direct evidence of hominid modifications, such as cutmarks, means that anomalies in the composition of the assemblages themselves must be identified. Recognition of such hominid-created anomalies requires knowledge of the expected composition of naturally-derived assemblages. This study analysed over 5300 modern fishbones from 14 assemblages in lakeshore and channel-associated contexts at Lake Turkana, Kenya. Various measures including taxonomic abundance and skeletal element representation were calculated, giving an expected composition for fishbones in these contexts. These were then compared with the composition of fishbone assemblages from a fishing camp site at Lake Turkana. Distinctive patterns were found in the fishing camp composition, and provide the beginning of a data base on human modifications resulting from procurement and processing activities.
ISSN:0305-4403
1095-9238
DOI:10.1016/0305-4403(91)90054-S