Zooarchaeology at Phum Snay, a Prehistoric Cemetery in Northwestern Cambodia

Abstract

The main goal of this paper is to establish protein intake primarily using animal remains from Phum Snay. The analysis of diet assemblages will provide powerful answers to the questions about historic and prehistoric human behavior at the site. This research primarily focuses on food refuse and domesticated animals of ancient populations, which reveal much information about diet and nutrition, food processing, subsistence strategies, and belief systems. The analysis of archaeofaunal remains helps us reconstruct the palaeofauna and the ecosystem inhabited by ancient humans. The research by the Cambodian government, in cooperation with the International Research Center for Japanese Studies, indicates that more than 2,000 years ago (500 BC to 500 AD) people living at Phum Snay—not far from Angkor Wat temple and Tonle Sap lake—already engaged in animal processing.