The page provides news and access to resources connected to archaeology in Kentucky.
07/31/2024
Hi Folks!
The summer of 2024 is shaping up to be the summer of surveys. And of public archaeology. And of analysis.
This post features a report on the analysis of animal bones recovered during our excavations last summer at Augusta, in Bracken County.
Most of the site’s well-preserved animal bones are fragments of food remains.
Here’s a photo of a tray of bones, taken during analysis. It's simply a shot of a standard analysis tray. but it's pretty cool to those of us who don't do this kind of work.
These bones came from one unit/level. Most of the analysis is finished, and the bones are separated on the tray by species.
Starting at the tray’s upper left-hand corner and moving clockwise, are:
complete rice rat bones;
fragments of turkey leg bones;
fragments of turtle shell;
the upper right wing bone from a male turkey; and
a large elk’s ankle bone (lower right corner).
Left of the elk bone is a shaped and polished antler fragment. It probably was some sort of tool.
In the bottom center of the tray are pieces of mammal bones laid out in lines. Their grey, white, and lighter colors mean they are heavily burned, as if they had laid in the coals and ashes of a fire for a long time.
Continuing clockwise, lying on or next to strips of paper, are:
a gray fox tooth, and a tooth from a young striped skunk;
the lower jaw of a raccoon (all the teeth are missing);
a gnawed lower left leg bone of a dog; and
the left side of a black bear’s skull, with a puncture fracture right above the eye. Was this some sort of bite mark?
The bone fragments in the center of the tray still need to be identified as to species or fragment type.
Some of the analyst’s tools are also shown in this picture.
The circular black object near the lower right corner of the tray is a magnifying lens. The zooarchaeologist uses this tool to examine features of each animal’s bone more closely. This helps to identify species, any cut marks from butchering, and any gnawing by rodents or dogs.
Note the blank slips of paper along the right side of the tray. The analyst records information about the various bones on them.
On the upper left-hand corner of the tray is a stick used to apply glue.
Missing from this picture are the analyst’s reference tools – books, comparative skeletons of animals – and his extensive analytical experience gained by decades of working with bones.
Pretty cool, huh?
Photo courtesy Bruce Manzano
