Estimation of the Original Number of Individuals from Paired Bone Counts Using Estimators of the Krantz Type

Abstract

In 1968, G. S. Krantz proposed a method for estimating the original number of animals deposited at an archaeological site when bone counts have been reduced, whether by attritional processes or by a failure to find all the bones. His formula involved using the number of unmatched left, unmatched right, and matched pairs of a class of paired bone. In this paper we investigate estimators derived using Krantz's assumptions from both theoretical and practical viewpoints and make a number of recommendations; for example, that Krantz's estimators are useful only in relatively large assemblages. The method is applied to fish bones obtained from three sites in New Zealand, and practical difficulties with the procedure are described.