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On Equifinality in Faunal Analysis

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  20 January 2017

Alan R. Rogers
Alan R. Rogers*
Affiliation:
Department of Anthropology 270S 1400E RM 102 University of Utah Salt Lake City, UT 84112
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Abstract

A faunal assemblage may be dominated by dense bones either because the soft ones have been transported away or because they have been gnawed beyond recognition. Archaeologists have often despaired of distinguishing between these hypotheses and have attributed the problem to equifinality-to the fact that different causes can produce identical outcomes. Yet under the models of transport and attrition studied here, these causes do not produce identical outcomes. It has been difficult to distinguish between them only because conventional statistical methods lack power. Using the new method of abcml (Analysis of Bone Counts by Maximum Likelihood), it is easy to distinguish assemblages that were deposited by different agents. It is also possible to distinguish between assemblages that have suffered differing degrees of attritional damage, but this distinction is more difficult to make. It is also shown that the conventional method for recognizing attritional damage in faunal assemblages is remarkably low in power. The paper closes with a discussion of the word "equifinality" itself.

Resumen

Resumen

Una colección de fauna puede consistir en su mayor parte de huesos densos porque los huesos blandos han sido transportados fuera o porque ellos han sido roídos més allá de reconocimiento. Frecuentemente los arqueólogos se han desesperado por distinguir entre estas hipótesis y han atribuído el problema a equifinalidad, hecho en que causas diferentes pueden producir resultados idénticos. Pero con los modelos de transporte y desgaste estudiados aquí, estas causas no producen resultados idénticos. Ha sido difícil distinguir entre ellos solamente porque los métodos convencionales de estadística no tienen suficientepoder. Usando el método nuevo de abcml (Analysis of Bone Counts by Maximum Likelihood [en español, Análisis de la Cuenta de Huesos por el Mátodo de Probabilidad Máxima]), es fácil de distinguir entre colecciones que estaban depositadas por agentes diferentes. También es posible distinguir entre colecciones que han sufrido niveles diversos de daño de desgaste, pero esta distinción es más difícil de hacer. También se ha demostrado que el método convencional para el reconocimiento de daño de desgaste en colecciones de fauna es notablemente débil en poder. El artículo termina con una discusión de la palabra "equifinalidad" en sí misma.

Type
Reports
Information
American Antiquity , Volume 65 , Issue 4 , October 2000 , pp. 709 - 723
Copyright
Copyright © Society for American Archaeology 2000

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