Insular Zooarchaeology: Advances in the Study of Faunal Assemblages from Oceania

Zooarchaeological Background:

From its origins in the early 20th century, zooarchaeology has a long tradition of combining principles from biology, ecology, ethology, and several other disciplines. Through the years, this field has evolved in tandem with advances in other sciences, such as biomolecular studies, which significantly contribute to the wealth of information we can recover from archaeological faunal assemblages. Nevertheless, due to some of the intrinsic limitations of zooarchaeology, related to material preservation and specialized training, research in some geographic areas have not witnessed the same degree of development.

Zooarchaeology in Oceania:

As such, Oceania has not received the same interest as other regions worldwide, due to:

1) The complexity of faunal assemblages in some sites.

This wide geographic area presents specific idiosyncrasies which hinders the application of some traditional methods commonly used in Eurasian and American assemblages. For example, ichtyoarchaeological assemblages from Pacific sites are rarely identified to species level, as the enormous diversity of fish species, the highest diversity in the world, impedes compiling reference collections that include all individuals. In Australia and PNG, taxonomic and ecological differences among marsupials, although informative, are difficult to identify due to the similarity of skeletal elements.

2) The difficulty to adapt methods and techniques applied in other regions to significant research questions for this geographical area.

The effect of specific taphonomic processes, such as bushfires, endemic insect modifications, or Traditional Cultural Practices makes comparisons with assemblages from other regions complex and dubious. Additionally, the poor preservation of organic material, in general collagen, hampers the application of new techniques such as palaeoproteomics or aDNA to advance taxonomical identifications.

These gaps in our knowledge about zooarchaeological advances and suitable methods in the region are in part caused by the lack of specialized publications with a focus on Oceania and its archaeological faunal assemblages.

Recent research on skeletal patterns linked to ritual practices, ancient protein analyses for taxononomic identification or taphonomic analysis to evaluate anthropogenic actions on small vertebrate assemblages show promising new approaches and advances that are significantly contributing to building our knowledge about human-animal interactions in the Oceania region.
With this in mind, the aim of this Research Topic is to provide an up-to-date overview of zooarchaeological advances in Oceania, including research in Australia, Papua New Guinea (PNG) and South Pacific Islands, the latter expanding from Palau and Mariana Islands to the northwest to Marquesas and Easter Island – Rapa Nui- to the southwest.

The main goals and thematic questions we hope contributions to this collection will address are:

1- The role of human actions on changes in fauna composition in these regions

2- Better understanding of biodiversity in terrestrial and marine environments before and after human arrival

3-Human adaptations and behaviour in remote insular environments

This Research Topic aims to showcase advances and innovative approaches addressing different aspects of zooarchaeological research in Oceania. Some of the key topics suggested which could address the goals and questions above include:

1- The role of human actions on changes in fauna composition in these regions

-Animal extinctions, including megafauna and the decimation of some species from invasive animals
-Trade and exchange networks, such as animal translocation or trading of animal products
-Taphonomic processes in Oceania and neotaphonomic experimentation

2- A better understanding of biodiversity in terrestrial and marine environments before and after human arrival

- Shell midden formation and preservation
-New methods to analyze, identify, and quantify zooarchaeological assemblages in the region, including palaeoproteomics and other biomolecular techniques

3- Human adaptations and behaviour in Oceania

-Traditional Ecological Knowledge and Indigenous use of animals
-Symbolic and ritual use of animals
-Indigenous fisheries and exploitation of marine resources

Article types and fees

This Research Topic accepts the following article types, unless otherwise specified in the Research Topic description:

• Brief Research Report
• Case Report
• Classification
• Clinical Trial
• Editorial
• FAIR² Data
• General Commentary
• Hypothesis and Theory
• Methods
• ... View all formats

Articles that are accepted for publication by our external editors following rigorous peer review incur a publishing fee charged to Authors, institutions, or funders.

Article types

This Research Topic accepts the following article types, unless otherwise specified in the Research Topic description:

• Brief Research Report
• Case Report
• Classification
• Clinical Trial
• Editorial
• FAIR² Data
• General Commentary
• Hypothesis and Theory
• Methods
• Mini Review
• Opinion
• Original Research
• Perspective
• Review
• Systematic Review
• Technology and Code

Keywords: zooarchaeology, fisheries, marine exploitation, Australia, faunal remains, human-animal interaction, ecology, ethology

Important note: All contributions to this Research Topic must be within the scope of the section and journal to which they are submitted, as defined in their mission statements. Frontiers reserves the right to guide an out-of-scope manuscript to a more suitable section or journal at any stage of peer review.