Surface Changes in Intentionally Burned Bones

Abstract

Faunal materials recovered from archaeological contexts are often found to have experienced some amount of burning, raising questions about the causes. Various studies have identified the surface changes, or taphonomic signatures, of bone at different stages of burning, with the greatest intensity of burning typically being attributed to human intentionality. This project reviews the utility of such attributes to archaeology and applies them to faunal specimens from a pithouse in British Columbia, which was itself burned. Colour and texture are the main criteria used to classify the specimens to burning stages. Most of the remains at the site were found to be burned to the greatest intensity (calcined), suggesting intentional burning under controlled conditions in a hearth.

Faculty Mentor: Dr. Paul Prince