Testing the Life History Approach: Assessing Cultural Bias in Archaeological Mussel Shell Assemblages in the Tombigbee River Drainage

Author

Sarah Kate McKinney

Issuing Body

Mississippi State University

Advisor

Peacock, Evan

Committee Member

Barton, Brandon

Committee Member

Miller, Darcy Shane

Date of Degree

8-11-2017

Document Type

Graduate Thesis - Open Access

Major

Applied Anthropology

Degree Name

Master of Arts

College

College of Arts and Sciences

Department

Department of Anthropology and Middle Eastern Cultures

Abstract

Zooarchaeological mussel shell assemblages can be affected by an array of biases, one of which is cultural bias. Cultural biases may be exhibited in the transport of mussels from nonlocal mussel beds, and/or in preferential taste. There are a few methods used to help determine if cultural biases are at play (e.g., nestedness and detrended correspondence analysis). This thesis aims to test a new method, the life history approach, to determine if it is a viable method for assessing cultural bias in prehistoric mussel assemblages from the Tombigbee River drainage. Shell assemblages from the drainage previously have been demonstrated to not be culturally biased; therefore, these assemblages will act as a control against which to test the life history approach as a method for cultural bias assessment.

URI

https://hdl.handle.net/11668/20632

Comments

archaeology||life history strategy||mussel shell||mississippi||zooarcheology

Recommended Citation

McKinney, Sarah Kate, "Testing the Life History Approach: Assessing Cultural Bias in Archaeological Mussel Shell Assemblages in the Tombigbee River Drainage" (2017). Theses and Dissertations. 4251.
https://scholarsjunction.msstate.edu/td/4251