The E 3 Formula for the Presence and Absence of Fauna in Archaeological Sites

Abstract

There are only three factors which account for the presence or the absence of fauna in any archaeological site: Ecology of the area, Economics of any associated predator population (including hominids), and Ethos of any associated hominid population. When these are incorporated into a binary equation with a presence or absence outcome, and then correlated with a locus type, a focus is provided for a more far reaching analysis of faunal richness and diversity as they relate to preference and activity patterns. Taphonomic and recovery biases, of course, enter into the analysis and are a given. The equations number 16 with 8 being equalities and 8 being inequalities. Seven of the equalities result in an absence marker. Seven of the inequalities result in a presence marker. The equations force us to think more about how and why fauna were used and the role of competing species. I have found this approach useful to better understand why goats are virtually non-existent in the early seventeenth-century Chesapeake sites, seemingly disputing the extant documentation for that time. Greater cultural understanding may unfold by incorporating this methodology into our faunal interpretation.