MODULE #9: STUDYING SUBSISTENCE
3-4 hours
A. Overview: In this module students will learn how reconstruct prehistoric subsistence, including the use of environmental data, animal bones, vegetal remains, human feces, artifacts, and prehistoric art. They will learn about the study of animal bones and plant remains, and how these ecofacts are identified, analyzed and what we can learn from them. We will also discuss how we learn about prehistoric diet and nutrition from human skeletal remains.
B. Objectives:
1. Detail just how archaeologists reconstruct ancient lifeways.
2. Describe the importance of animal bones in archaeological sites.
3. Examine the value of plant remains to archaeology and the methods used to recover them.
4. Analyze the impact of bird, fish, and mollusk utilization on site usage by indigenous peoples.
5. Describe the relationship between rock art and subsistence practices by ancient people.
6. Demonstrate the correlation between diet and nutrition.
C. Principles:
1. Basic archaeological skills: how data is analyzed and conclusions reached
2. Communication: working with experts in different fields; report preparation
3. Social relevance: what can be learned about the environment in the past, use of foodstuffs; how that relates to today
4. Real world problem solving: interpretation of data
D. Instructional Procedures: This module is primarily lecture and student activity. Throughout the lecture, students are asked questions to ensure they are grasping the concepts introduced. It is important to tie in real world experiences to the content, so the questions ask the students to think of some of the concepts in the context of today’s world. Powerpoint is useful to help identify concepts but the lecture can be taught with traditional technology (whiteboard, etc.).
E. Assessment: Students will be assessed by their continuing work on the Excavating Occaneechi Town online project and an out-of-class paper.
F. Lecture Outline:
1. Define subsistence
2. Define and describe zooarchaeology/faunal analysis: what can be learned from it; how it can tell us about seasonality of animals and occupation; human behavior in hunting, slaughtering, and butchering
3. Discuss how we reconstruct diet
4. Plant remainsa. Flotation: interpreting plant evidence
b. Palynologyi. reconstruction of ancient environments
ii. How have environments changed?5. Human remains
a. Skeletal studies: diet: what we can learn about dietary changes over time and differences in diet based on status
G. Examples: Olsen-Chubbock site
H. Activities: pollen; Continue Excavating Occaneechi Town
http://www.ibiblio.org/dig/index.html
I. Readings: Fagan, Chapter 9
J. Assignment: Subsistence take-home