Sponsor
Most of the funding for Čḯxwicən analysis came from the National Science Foundation (Grant Numbers 1219468, 1353610, and 1663789 to Portland State University; 1219483 to University of Rhode Island; 1219470 to Western Washington University), through the efforts of Anna Kerttula de Echave, whose support we gratefully acknowledge. Washington State Department of Transportation wrote letters of support for funding and helped subsidize loan costs.
Published In
Advances in Archaeological Practice
Document Type
Article
Publication Date
5-1-2025
Subjects
Zooarchaeology -- United States, Human ecodynamics
Abstract
Zooarchaeologists routinely analyze assemblages that were initially sorted into major animal type (birds, mammals, fish, invertebrates) by students or lab technicians with varied backgrounds in zooarchaeology. Sorting errors are probably made in this initial phase, which can affect taxonomic representation and understanding of human–animal relationships. Recent study of the immense faunal assemblage (over 1 million NSP [Number of Specimens]) from Čḯxwicən (45CA523), a 2,700-year-old Lower Elwha Klallam village located on the coast of Washington (USA), allows us to systematically analyze trends in sorting errors. For example, 22.6% of the bird bones included in our sample were initially missorted into other taxonomic groups, primarily mammal, but also fish and invertebrate. Fish bones were less frequently missorted, but certain taxa with unusual elements were affected. More than one-fourth (27.3%) of all mammal bone chips (debitage from tool production) were missorted. Failure to recognize and mitigate these errors could lead to significant biases. Lab managers need to recognize the potential for sorting error at the beginning and train lab technicians in the kinds of faunal remains they will be encountering, including distinctive elements. Collaborative researchers need to develop protocols for transferring specimens, and scholars working with “legacy collections” should not assume the collections were sorted correctly.
Rights
Copyright (c) 2025 The Authors
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.
DOI
10.1017/aap.2024.43
Persistent Identifier
https://archives.pdx.edu/ds/psu/44168
Citation Details
Bovy, K. M., Butler, V. L., Etnier, M. A., & Campbell, S. K. (2025). Documenting the Effects of Laboratory Sorting in Zooarchaeology: Lessons Learned from the Čḯxwicən Project. Advances in Archaeological Practice, 13(2), 241–255.