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A Simple Method for Quantifying Compositional Correspondence Between Zooarchaeological Assemblages Using Paired Similarity Indices

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Abstract

Archaeologists employ an array of comparative approaches to assess zooarchaeological assemblages and the human behavior that produced them. Similarity indices are a simple and effective method for evaluating correspondence between the taxa present and their abundances in two zooarchaeological assemblages. Yet, these indices are not as widely used as other approaches. Here, I review several similarity metrics and present a method for measuring assemblage similarity using paired incidence- and abundance-based indices. The combined results of these measures can be used to classify a set of assemblages according to their dissimilarity, qualitative similarity, quantitative similarity, or substantive similarity. The paired-index approach is demonstrated employing the corrected Forbes and Morista-Horn indices in two zooarchaeological case studies from the Caribbean sites of Sabazan (Carriacou), Sandy Ground (Anguilla), and Crève Coeur (Martinique) in the Lesser Antilles. I show that the method (1) provides a means to quantify the similarity between assemblages along a defined, meaningful scale; (2) offers a straightforward approach for understanding how the dimensions of assemblage similarity interact based on a proposed classification scheme; and (3) constitutes a simple-to-apply technique requiring minimal technical skills. I conclude by discussing the strengths and limitations of this method and its potential wider application in archaeology.

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Notes

  1. Parrotfish were once classified as a separate family, Scaridae, but are now placed in the tribe Scarinae within the family Labridae. The taxonomic distinction between Labridae and Scaridae is maintained here for consistency with previously published reports and because the skeletal remains of parrotfish are highly distinctive and can be readily separated from those of other labrids.

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Acknowledgements

I thank Lee Lyman, Tyler Faith, and two anonymous reviewers for their valuable suggestions on an earlier version of this manuscript. I am grateful to Diane Wallman for sharing information about the Crève Cœur zooarchaeological assemblage.

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  1. Department of Archaeology, Simon Fraser University, Burnaby, BC, Canada

    Christina M. Giovas

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Supplemental Table: Five scenarios from the hypothetical assemblages in Table 1, presented with taxon abundances based on the number of identified specimens (NISP), and Simpson, corrected Forbes, and Morisita-Horn index statistics. (PDF 221 kb)

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Giovas, C.M. A Simple Method for Quantifying Compositional Correspondence Between Zooarchaeological Assemblages Using Paired Similarity Indices. J Archaeol Method Theory 28, 823–844 (2021). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10816-021-09512-y

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