A Compiled Archaeobiological Dataset for Central Asia's Chalcolithic through Bronze Age: macrobotanical and zooarchaeological data transcribed, standardized, and summarized from original publications

This dataset contains archaeobotnaical and zooarchaeological data that have been compiled, transcribed, standardized, and summarized from original published data sources. Original data publications are given herein as a List of References (Microsoft Word file). These publications appeared between 1960-2022, presenting data in various formats, in various languages, and in scientific works that included journals, books, and conference proceedings - .

Data have been compiled and are given in two Microsoft Excel files, one corresponding to archaeobotanical data and one to zooarchaeological data. On the first tab (worksheet) of each of these files, original publication sources are given in a summarized reference (Author, Year, Table/Figure Number) that corresponds to the full bibliographic reference in the accompanying List of References file. This first tab (worksheet) also summarizes additional information on the archaeological context of each dataset, collection and analysis methods (when reported), and the availabilty of other relevant and/or corresponding datasets. The remaining tabs (worksheets) in each file, organized alphabetically by author last name, tabularize the original data in a standardized format; these data are compiled and transcribed as necessary from the various formatting of original data sources, though they keep the original reported species names, table ordering, and numerical data. In the cases where totals were obviously erroneous or superceded by later or additional analyses, transcription notes have been offered directly in the worksheet.

A fair number of these data sources are now out of print, have no digital distribution, and are otherwise difficult to access physically and/or linguistically. Accordingly, the sole aim in compiling these data here is to facilitate their widespread availablity, proper citation, and increased use within the international community of archaeological scientists working in Central Asia in the present day. Other scholars are encouraged to utilize these compiled datasets for foundational regional data and extended analyses, and to add to and expand these datasets going forward.