The role of dried fish: A taphonomical model of fish butchering and long-term preservation

Abstract

Here we present an ethnographic study on the practice of three butchering methods applied to 645 fish by traditional fishermen in Panama (Central America) and southern Sinai (Red Sea, Egypt). In Method A- the entire fish is gutted ventrally; in Method B- a lengthwise dorsal cut is performed (“Butterfly” fish); and in Method C- boneless strips of meat are produced from sharks (Chondrichthyes). The first two methods are similar to those depicted in several ancient Egyptian reliefs. The objectives of this study were to examine the traditional methods used for fish butchering and determine whether the method applied would generate a characteristic pattern of bone loss and damage (typical fragmentation pattern). For the 645 fish processed for immediate or long-term consumption, by traditional fishermen, we documented the tools used, the sequence of fish cutting, and the correlation between the butchering method applied and fish taxonomy, size, and morphological characteristics. For 171 fish butchered by either of two methods, we show a correlation between the method used and skeletal element presentation, fragmentation pattern, and fracture location. We also note that evidence of fish processing areas may be rare in the archaeological record, since the discarded parts are either consumed by local animals or thrown into the nearby aquatic habitats. The results presented contribute to our understanding of past processing methods, and to the methodology used for analyzing fish remains. We demonstrate the validity of the described butchering methods by providing examples of similarities observed in fragmentation patterns of fish remains recovered from archaeological sites.