THE ETHNOARCHAEOLOGY OF REPTILE REMAINS AT A LAKE-TURKANA OCCUPATION SITE, KENYA

The role of reptiles in hominid hunter-gatherer subsistence in Pleisto cene Africa has been largely overlooked. This study examines the repti le component of a modern lake shore camp (site 20) assemblage of low a rchaeological visibility. Site 20, located on the eastern shore of Lak e Turkana, has been observed from its creation to burial. The site is an ideal modern analogue for the interpretation of African prehistoric archaeological sites. Patterns of element loss, and patterns of bone modifications, namely burn, cut and slice marks, are examined. From th is baseline data, three conclusions are drawn regarding the interpreta bility of reptile remains found at archaeological lakeside sites: (1) the MNI of crocodile remains at a site is likely to be similar to the original number of individuals which contributed to the deposited asse mblage; (2) the MNI estimates of the turtle component will be much les s than the original number of individuals in the deposited assemblage; and (3) patterns of bone modifications can be related to hominid food procurement and processing activities. (C) 1996 Academic Press Limite d