The Synergism of Biology and Culture

ABSTRACT

Zooarchaeology, by its very nature, requires the melding of two disciplines, zoology and archaeology. As the name for this discipline suggests, the former often has primary emphasis. Practitioners have employed a wide variety of methods and theories that were first developed in the biological sciences. However, human cultural behavior does not always match that of other animals. We, therefore, need to modify the methods and theories to emphasize the cultural component of our inquiries. The present paper addresses a number of these issues in the context of the articles written for this publication as well as those presented in the symposium. Finally, the issue of whether or not there is need for an “Island Zooarchaeology” within the recognized subfield of “Island Archaeology” is considered.

Keywords:

• zooarchaeology
• Caribbean islands
• trophic-level analysis
• island archaeology
• mollusks
• marine ecology