Project Description
This research will have three primary goals. First, is to rehouse the 2012-2017 field school materials at Koshkonong Creek Village (KCV) and provide a box-level inventory. Second, the project will digitize extant faunal data into a new database. Third, is an intra-site comparison of the faunal assemblage. Currently, the 2012-2017 materials from KCV are housed by context, which inhibits research and increases the likelihood of damage. This project will move the artifacts into boxes based on the artifact type, and the student will create a digital box-level inventory. Previous analysis identified the faunal remains from 2012-2014 on paper tags within the boxes. So, the student will enter the faunal data into a database for the next phase of this and future research. Third is analysis of the faunal data. The materials from the site have been recovered from features in different areas of the site, time periods, and associated structures. The student will use the extant dataset and database to identify spatial patterns in the faunal remains, focusing on ubiquity and bone weight. Simple statistical measures will be used to test comparisons. Time allowing, 2017-2025 assemblages will be identified to class-level and added to the sample.
Tasks and Responsibilites
Student Tasks: The student will be responsible for inventorying, organizing, and labeling artifact bags and boxes. The student will be responsible for maintaining two separate databases. One to track the overall box-level inventories, and another to digitize the faunal data. The student will be responsible for ensuring that the data in each is entered accurately and consistently. With the help of the mentor, the student will be responsible for providing descriptive statistics for each feature with faunal remains, especially count and weight per taxon and taxonomic class, number of taxa per context. The student will then look for patterns in the data that may be related to spatial, functional, or social differences across the site. If time allows, additional class-level faunal data will be collected from 2017-2025 faunal assemblages. Specifically, the student will look to see if some areas of the site differ in the total amount of faunal remains, the taxonomic diversity, or the composition of the assemblage.