Modern Butchery Sites

Ethnographic observations of large animal kill sites of modern Hadza hunter-gatherers in Africa have shown that such sites can sometimes extend to distances of some hundred square meters, with dense concentrations of bone refuse near water sources. For carcasses smaller than 400 kg, bones selected for transport to home bases and those discarded at kill sites vary according to the number of carriers, distance to home base, time of day, and other variables. In animals larger than 400 kg, carcasses are defleshed and marrow is consumed at the site, whereas flesh is transported to home bases without the extra weight of bones. These kill sites thus preserve most of the animal skeletal parts. About 80-90% of all skeletal elements are left at the kill. Axial and cranial remains from these animals remain clustered together, whereas long limb bones may be scattered over a broader area. In contrast, animals smaller than 400 kg undergo a more variable scattering process. No more than 30% of bones from animals between 50 and 400 kg are abandoned at kills. Transport decisions are not related to prey body size but are cultural decisions. Animals of the same size may be transported differently. For instance, when an eland is hunted, Hadza abandon limb bones preferentially over axial bones. When Hadza obtain buffalo, limb bones are transported while axial bones are discarded at the kill site. Given the set of physical and cultural variables conditioning carcass part transport and discard, skeletal part profiles are of limited application to distinguish transported (home base) versus discarded (kill site) carcasses of this size range.

Taphonomic indicators of a butchering site can also be documented in modern forager kill sites. Given that carcass remains are not widely shared in these loci, bones from the same individual tend to form a spatially discrete cluster. When several individuals are obtained simultaneously or at different intervals, bone clusters from different animals are independent or minimally overlapping. Importantly, anatomical sections frequently are abandoned articulated. Bones discarded at home bases rarely appear articulated, whereas they are common in kill sites.