Correcting temporal frequency distributions for taphonomic bias |
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Authors: | Todd A. Surovell Judson Byrd Finley Geoffrey M. Smith P. Jeffrey Brantingham Robert Kelly |
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Affiliation: | 1. Department of Anthropology, University of Wyoming, Laramie, 1000 East University Avenue, WY 82071, USA;2. Department of Earth Sciences, University of Memphis, 001 Johnson Hall, Memphis, TN 38152-3530, USA;3. Department of Anthropology, University of California, Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA 90095, USA |
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Abstract: | In this paper, we expand upon a prior study [Surovell, T.A., Brantingham, P.J., 2007. A note on the use of temporal frequency distributions in studies of prehistoric demography. Journal of Archaeological Science 34, 1868–1877.] that explored the problem of taphonomic bias. Taphonomic bias refers to the tendency for younger things to be over-represented relative to older things in the archaeological record due to the operation of destructive processes like erosion and weathering. Using a database of radiocarbon dated volcanic deposits from Bryson, R.U., Bryson, R.A., Ruter, A. [2006. A calibrated radiocarbon database of late Quaternary volcanic eruptions. Earth Discussions 1, 123–124.], we develop an empirical model of taphonomic bias. In contrast to our prior study in which we modeled taphonomic bias as an exponential function wherein the likelihood of site loss remains constant through time, we argue that the probability of site destruction actually decreases with site age. We further demonstrate how this model can be used to correct temporal frequency distributions and extract demographic histories. We illustrate this approach using databases of radiocarbon dates from rockshelter and open-air sites in the Bighorn Basin, Wyoming, USA, and mammoths and humans in Siberia, Russia. |
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Keywords: | Temporal frequency distributions Taphonomic bias Archaeological demography Bighorn Basin Wyoming Siberia Caves and rockshelters Upper Paleolithic Woolly mammoth Mammuthus primigenius |
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