Understanding site formation processes through the faunal assemblages of the Johnston Site.

摘要

The following research examines basic taxonomic identification of faunal material from the Johnston site (36In2), Blairsville, Indiana County, Pennsylvania, a Late Prehistoric Monongahela village. In collaboration with the Carnegie Museum of Natural History and Indiana University of Pennsylvania, a sample of these materials collected from excavations in the 1950’s and since 2005 have been analyzed and compared to better address questions of subsistence and site formation processes within a Middle Monongahela tradition village site. Examination of degree of fragmentation, breakage type and weight suggests there is variation between the assemblages. Evaluating taphonomic variables helps to assess comparability between the two collections. Nevertheless, integration of this data to the extent possible from both assemblages addresses the nature and occupational history of the Johnston site.