Alyssa Wakefield
Research Mentor(s): Laura Motta
Mentor Department: Classsical Studies and Kelsey Museum of Archaeology
Authors: Alyssa Wakefield , Emma Nelson
Session: Session 4 (1:00pm – 1:50pm)
Presentation Type: Poster 43
Abstract
Faunal remains in any archeological context are both environmental indicators and representative of changes in economic and social practices. This study focuses on the zooarchaeological material from Tel Anafa, a settlement in the ancient Levant occupied throughout the Late Hellenistic and Roman periods. Of the faunal material from Tel Anafa stored in Ann Arbor, only about 15% had been examined for data analysis prior to this project, which has resulted in an incomplete conclusion regarding the majority of the faunal remains. Specifically, we focused on what the dental wear of these animals can tell us about their diets and what the environment they were raised in was like, as wear patterns on teeth give archeologists insight on the age at which livestock typically died/was butchered. Remains have been sorted by species, age, and bone type in order to estimate the minimum number of individuals (MNI) and set aside the teeth for further observation. Our research process involved the recording of mammal tooth wear via comparison with published standards. Given the scale of the Tel Anafa bone assemblage, our results regarding average age and diet are a small percentage of the material from the site, but are highly representative of agricultural patterns on-site and the inhabitants’ use of their environment. Thus, by examining wear patterns on these teeth, we are able to contribute to the larger analysis of Tel Anafa as a bridge between several cultures and time periods in the Levant.
