Morin, Eugène EM

The aim of this thesis is to explore the human/animal relationship at the walled and moated shwe myo taw, or "royal golden city," at the ancient Burmese capital of Bagan, Myanmar, which flourished from the 11th – 14th centuries CE, in the ecological area known as Myanmar's Central Dry Zone. This thesis achieves its objectives by applying an ethnoarchaeological based research strategy, examining the human/animal relationship within ten contemporary yet traditional villages, and house compounds, surrounding the remains of the ancient capital city. The traditional villages include Thae Pyin Taw, Shwe Hlaing, Zee Oo, Kon Sin Kyi, Kon Tan Gyi, Minnanthu, Hpauck Sein Pin, Thuhtaykan, East Pwa Saw, and West Pwa Saw. The premise of this thesis is that through a better understanding of the material correlates of human/animal relationships in the traditional villages of today can help settlement archaeologists interpret specific aspects of the archaeological record that may relate to these same types of relationships in the past. This study is part of the broader Integrated Socio-Ecological History for Residential Patterning, Agricultural Practices, and Water Management at the Medieval Burmese Capital of Bagan, Myanmar project (IRAW@Bagan).

Author Keywords: Animal-human relationship, Archaeology, Bagan, Ethnoarchaeology, Myanmar, Zooarchaeology

Mount Mazama, a large volcano located in the Cascade Range of Oregon, eruptedsome 7,000 cal. years BP. Following the volcanic eruption, a large portion of the northwestern region of the Great Plains of North America was covered by a thick layer of volcanic ash. The present research project is concerned with the impact of this catastrophic event on the subsistence patterns of the northwestern Plains groups during the early Archaic period (ca. 6,600–6,000 BP). More specifically, this research project tests the hypothesis that the eruption of Mount Mazama prompted the adoption of bone grease rendering in this part of the Plains. To test this hypothesis, a faunal analysis of the assemblages of Stampede site, located on the Cypress Hills of southeastern Alberta, was performed. The results of the analysis presented here show that the faunal material of the Stampede site is extensively burnt, which seems to be more in line with the intentional disposal of bones in hearth features, possibly for cleaning purposes, than with bone grease manufacture. The methodological issues regarding the identification of bone grease rendering from archaeozoological assemblages are discussed here.

Author Keywords: Bone Grease Rendering, Carcass Processing Behaviour, Faunal Analysis, Great Plains, Northern Plains, Subsistence