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Marine Fauna Use in Ceramic Age Antigua Patterns of Marine Fauna Use in Ceramic Age Antigua, West Indies

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Marine Fauna Use in Ceramic Age Antigua Patterns of Marine Fauna Use in Ceramic Age Antigua, West Indies MARINE FAUNA USE IN CERAMIC AGE ANTIGUA PATTERNS OF MARINE FAUNA USE IN CERAMIC AGE ANTIGUA, WEST INDIES By Christine Cluney A Thesis Submitted to the Faculty of Graduate Studies in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree of MASTER OF ARTS Department of Anthropology McMaster University Hamilton, Ontario © March, 2005 11 MASTER OF ARTS (2005) McMaster University (Anthropology) Hamilton, Ontario TITLE: Patterns of Marine Fauna Use in Ceramic Age Antigua, West Indies AUTHOR: Christine Cluney, B.Sc. (University of Calgary) SUPERVISOR: Professor Aubrey Cannon NUMBER OF PAGES: xi,161 111 ABSTRACT Detailed analysis of marine faunal remains was conducted at an early Saladoid (Ceramic Age) coastal site, located on the island of Antigua, West Indies. Previous subsistence models in the Caribbean are closely linked to theories of migration and culture change. I discuss the economic importance of marine fauna at P A -15 (Doig' s) in order to understand the factors underlying variation in the faunal assemblage. The results of the faunal analysis indicate that subsistence strategies of Ceramic Age Antiguans are complex, and that subsistence models are currently too simplistic to be used to describe broad historical trends. IV ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS I would like to give thanks to everyone who contributed to the analysis, research and support of this thesis project. First, I would like to thank my supervisor Dr. Aubrey Cannon for his guidance, helpful advice, and insightful comments. I would also like to thank the members of my thesis committee, Dr. Andrew Martindale and Dr. Laura Finsten, for their assistance and support. Great thanks to those who made my time in Antigua memorable and worthwhile: Dr. Reg Murphy, Dr. Tamara Varney, Christy deMille, and Nicky Murphy. Other crew members in Antigua, in particular Beau Cripps, Brock Gent, Michael Rist, Chris Green, Sonia Quon, and Dr. Brian Kooyman ensured that our many hours in and out of the field were enjoyable. I would like to give a tremendous thanks to other lovers of Caribbean archaeology that have influenced my career-Dr. Richard Callaghan, Mr. Michael Tumey, and Mr. IosifMoravetz. To all of you-your love of archaeology and endless support and hours in the field are greatly appreciated. Special thanks to Mr. Roberto Angelini for pushing me along when I needed the encouragement and for assisting me with some of my maps and illustrations. Many thanks to Jodi Barta for her editing and comments on the many drafts of this thesis. I would like to express further gratitude to Kevin Seymour and Brian Iwama at the Royal Ontario Museum, who enabled me to use the palaeo-vertebrate collection for the analysis of the zooarchaeological remains. I also wish to give thanks to the Anthropology Department staff and my many friends in the program and elsewhere for making the everyday bearable with your smiles v and chocolate! Finally, I am grateful to my family for their unconditional love and endless support: Nan and Papa, Mom and Dad, and my brother Chris. VI TABLE OF CONTENTS Abstract ................................................................................................ .ii Acknowledgements ................................................................................ .iii Table of Contents ..................................................................................... v List of Tables ........................................................................................vii List of Figures ........................................................................................ ix CHAPTER 1: INTRODUCTION AND BACKGROUND 1.1. Rationale ......................................................................................... 1 1.2. Physical Setting .................................................................................. 3 1.3. Cultural Chronology ............................................................................3 1.4. Caribbean Subsistence Models ............................................................... 8 CHAPTER 2: SITE AND CONTEXT 2.1. Environmental Setting: Subsistence Economies and the Maritime Environment ..... 17 2.2. The Island of Antigua ............... , .............. , .......................................... 22 2.3.The Doig's Site (PA-15) ............................ , ......................................... .24 CHAPTER 3: ANALYSIS OF FISH REMAINS 3.1. Sampling Strategy .............................................................................. 35 3.2. The Faunal Assemblage ....................................................................... 37 3.3. Families Represented .......................................................................... 40 3.4. Vertical Distributions .......................................................................... 51 3.4.1. Trophic Level Analysis ............................................................. 51 3.4.2. Representation ofF amities ........................................................ 55 3.4.3. Study ofFish Vertebrae ............. '" ................................ , ........... 57 3.4.4. Serranidae Atlas and Premaxilla Measurements .................. , ............ 64 3.5. Horizontal Distributions ...................................................................... 69 3.5.1. Trophic Level Analysis ............................................................ 70 3.5.2. Representation ofF amities ....................................................... 71 3.5.3. Study ofFish Vertebrae ........................................................... 78 3.5.4. Serranidae Atlas and Premaxilla Measurements .............................. 79 CHAPTER 4: ANALYSIS OF CRAB AND SHELLFISH REMAINS 4.1. Variation in Shellfish (Cittariumpica) ...................................................... 82 4.1.1. Vertical Distributions .............................................................. 84 4.1.2. Horizontal Distributions ........................................................... 86 4.2. Variation in Crab Species ..................................................................... 87 4.2.1. Vertical Distributions ............................................................... 89 4.2.2. Horizontal Distributions .... ........................................... , ........... 91 4.3. Crab/Shell Abundance ........................................................................ 92 Vll CHAPTER 5: INTEGRATED ANALYSIS AND DISCUSSION 5.1. Variability at PA-15 ........................................................................... 94 5.2. Factors of Marine Fauna Variation .......................................................... 95 5.3. Conclusions ......................................................................... , .......... 103 BIBLIOGRAPHy ...... .......................... '" ... '" ............ , ...... , .. , .. , ............. 105 APPENDIX A: Fish Catalogue .................................................................. 117 APPENDIX B: Fish Vertebral Data ............................................................ 156 APPENDIX C: Shellfish Catalogue .................................................. , ......... 158 APPENDIX D: Crab Catalogue ................................................................. 160 Vlll LIST OF TABLES Table 1.1. Major prehistoric cultural periods and associated dates in the Lesser Antilles .. 5 Table 2.1. ArbitrarylN atural/Cultural Level Divisions from the 2001 and 2002 excavations ........................................................................................... 30 Table 3.1. Total NISP of fish, and weight of crab and shellfish by excavation block from PA-15 2001 and 2002 field seasons ............................................................... 38 Table 3.2. Total NISP by unit of faunal remains from PA-15 2001 and 2002 field seasons ................................................... , ............................................40 Table 3.3. Relative abundance offish families at Doig's and the percentage they represent of the total fish assemblage ........................................................... .42 Table 3.4. Elements identified by family ........................................................ .48 Table 3.5. Typical Environments inhabited by fish families identified at PA-15 ......... .49 Table 3.6. Summary of upper and lower component subdivisions ........................... 52 Table 3.7. Fish families identified at PA-15 and their mean trophic levels .................. 53 Table 3.8. Mean trophic level of the upper and lower components including and excluding vertebra ........ '" ........................................................................ 54 Table 3.9. Results of gross vertebra size study-upper and lower components ............... 58 Table 3.10. Relative abundance (without vertebrae) offish families identified-upper and lower components ................................................................................... 59 Table 3.11. Relative abundance (vertebrae included) of fish families identified-upper and lower components ................................................................................... 61 Table 3.12. Averages used for vertebrae centra width calculations .......................... 63 Table 3.13. Average vertebrae centra width-upper and lower components ................. 63 Table 3.14. Results ofSerranidae atlas and premaxilla calculations ......................... 66 Table 3.15 . Average trophic level of three units analyzed including and excluding vertebra ..............................................................................................
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