Burger, O., Hamilton, M. and Walker, R. (2005). The prey as patch model:. J Archaeol Sci 32 (8). Vol 32(8), pp. 1147-1158.
 Title The title of the publication or report |
The prey as patch model: | ||
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Subtitle The sub title of the publication or report |
optimal handling of resources with diminishing returns | ||
Issue The name of the volume or issue |
J Archaeol Sci 32 (8) | ||
Series The series the publication or report is included in |
Journal of Archaeological Science | ||
Volume Volume number and part |
32 (8) | ||
Page Start/End The start and end page numbers. |
1147 - 1158 | ||
Biblio Note This is a Bibliographic record only. |
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Publication Type The type of publication - report, monograph, journal article or chapter from a book |
Journal | ||
Abstract The abstract describing the content of the publication or report |
The authors argue that foraging theory provides archaeology with a set of tools for investigating the constraints that influenced procurement decisions of the past, and that the prey-choice model, which has been used extensively by archaeologists, has limitations given the nature of archaeological data. The paper suggests that the seldom-used Marginal Value Theorem (MVT) is a valuable tool for examining the ecological constraints on foraging decisions and merits further archaeological application. Ethnoarchaeological and experimental cases are presented demonstrating how patch--gains curves can be generated from quantitative data on butchering return rates and handling times. Results indicate that such curves are diminishing return functions. This provides a basis for examining the linkage between processing intensity and resource fluctuation. This model allows archaeologists to address the relationship between attribute-states of faunal remains and predicted optimal post-acquisition decisions. The MVT can be applied to archaeological studies of foraging behaviour and processing intensity as it can be used to estimate the set of environmental constraints in which a given kill was made. This approach may also identify the degree to which certain currencies, such as fat, are optimized at the expense of others, such as total caloric intake. | ||
Year of Publication The year the book, article or report was published |
2005 | ||
Locations Any locations covered by the publication or report. This is not the place the book or report was published. |
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Source Where the record has come from or which dataset it was orginally included in. |
BIAB
(The British & Irish Archaeological Bibliography (BIAB))
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Relations Other resources which are relevant to this publication or report |
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Created Date The date the record of the pubication was first entered |
29 Jun 2005 |
