The Zooarchaeology of Great House Sites in the San Juan Basin of the American Southwest

Dissertation by Shaw Badenhorst. This dissertation considers animal remains from great houses in the San Juan Basin of the American Southwest. The archaeofauna from an outlying great house, Albert Porter Pueblo in the central Mesa Verde region, occupied between Pueblo II and III (AD. 1020-1280), indicates that
turkey increased in importance over time compared to cottontails. Artiodactyls are not common in the assemblage, suggesting continuous hunting pressure on large game. Only subtle differences were noted between faunas from the great house when compared to residential units. Most notably, turkeys are more common in the great house during all time periods compared to surrounding residences. Ritual animals were located in all contexts, suggesting that everyone in the settlement had access to ceremonies. The mounds from Pueblo Bonito, a great house in Chaco Canyon dating to Pueblo II (AD. 1050-1] 05) were recently re-excavated by reopening Neil Judd's excavations from the 1920s. The fauna from the mounds is dominated by cottontails. The frequency of deer in the assemblage is similar to other Classic Bonito faunas from Chaco Canyon. The overall composition of the fauna is similar to other great houses and small sites within Chaco Canyon. Most of the artiodactyl remains are from young animals, a pattern that is consistent with
intensive hunting. A regional overview of faunas dating from Basketmaker II to Pueblo III (AD. 1-] 300) indicates that cottontails increased over time, whereas artiodactyls decline. Turkey became important in the northern San Juan Basin during Pueblo III. A number of processes resulted in variations in animal usage over time. Highly prized artiodactyls were intensively hunted as human populations grew over time. Some taxa are associated with particular environments. For example, conditions in the northern San Juan Basin favour cottontails and turkeys, whereas in the drier southern portions, jackrabbits are more common. Economic and
ritual usage of animals at great houses in the San Juan Basin was similar to that at contemporaneous settlements. No evidence was found to contradict the interpretation that farming communities in the San Juan Basin were organised by a peer-polity form of interaction during
Pueblo II and III.

本论文为肖·巴登霍斯特（Shaw Badenhorst）所著，聚焦美国西南部圣胡安盆地（San Juan Basin）内大型住宅遗址（great house）出土的动物遗存。位于梅萨维德（Mesa Verde）中部地区的外围大型住宅遗址阿尔伯特·波特普韦布洛（Albert Porter Pueblo），其年代处于普韦布洛II期（Pueblo II）至普韦布洛III期（Pueblo III，公元1020年—1280年），该遗址出土的考古动物群（archaeofauna）研究结果显示：与棉尾兔（cottontails）相比，火鸡的重要性随时间推移不断提升。偶蹄目动物（artiodactyls）在该遗存组合中占比偏低，表明当时人类对大型猎物存在持续的狩猎压力。对比大型住宅遗址与普通居住单元的动物群遗存，仅能观察到细微差异；最为显著的是，在所有时段中，大型住宅遗址内的火鸡占比均高于周边居住点。仪式用动物在各类遗存背景中均有发现，这说明定居点内所有社群成员均可参与仪式活动。

查科峡谷（Chaco Canyon）的普韦布洛博尼托（Pueblo Bonito）是一处大型住宅遗址，年代为普韦布洛II期（公元1050年—1150年），该遗址的土丘遗存近期通过重新开展1920年代尼尔·贾德（Neil Judd）的考古发掘项目得到了重新研究。该土丘出土的动物群以棉尾兔为主，鹿在该组合中的占比与查科峡谷其他经典普韦布洛博尼托动物群遗存相近。该动物群的整体组成与查科峡谷内其他大型住宅遗址及小型遗址的动物群组成相似。绝大多数偶蹄目动物遗存来自幼年个体，这一模式与集约化狩猎的特征相符。

对篮编器II期（Basketmaker II）至普韦布洛III期（公元1年—1300年）的动物群开展的区域综合分析显示：棉尾兔的占比随时间推移不断提升，而偶蹄目动物的占比则呈下降趋势。至普韦布洛III期，火鸡在圣胡安盆地北部地区的重要性显著提升。多种过程共同导致了不同时期动物利用方式的差异：随着人口持续增长，具有极高经济价值的偶蹄目动物遭到了集约化捕猎。部分动物类群与特定的生存环境存在关联：例如，圣胡安盆地北部的环境更适宜棉尾兔和火鸡生存，而在更为干旱的南部区域，长耳兔（jackrabbits）则更为常见。

圣胡安盆地大型住宅遗址中动物的经济与仪式用途，与同时期其他定居点的情况基本一致。未发现任何证据能够推翻"普韦布洛II期至III期期间，圣胡安盆地的农耕社群以对等政体（peer-polity）的互动模式进行组织"这一学术解读。