Testing the use of multivariate inter-site taphonomic comparisons: the faunal analysis of Hefzibah in its Epipalaeolithic cultural context

The results of a detailed zooarchaeological and taphonomic analysis of two faunal assemblages from Hefzibah (HEF), a major Geometric Kebaran open-air site on the central coastal plain of Israel were compared with two other assemblages from the same general period, site type, and geographic region using multivariate taphonomic analyses. A comprehensive analysis of taphonomic evidence for each assemblage based on the comparison of 28 taphonomic variables points to a preservational bias that accounts for the apparent economic differences found in one of the four Epipalaeolithic assemblages. Preservational indices, surface modification, bone density, and bone fragmentation indicate that inter-assemblage differences are related to post-depositional processes. These processes account for marked differences in species diversity, the percentage of juveniles, and the proportion of small game. The marked difference in preservation highlights the potential role of taphonomic biases in producing overt patterns that bear no real cultural or economic significance in zooarchaeological assemblages. High similarity in the length of fresh percussion fractures, the ratio and distribution of butchery marks, and prey body part representation suggest analogous traditions of food transport, preparation, and processing. (C) 2003 Elsevier Science Ltd. All rights reserved.