FAUNAL EXCAVATION BIAS IN THE CLOVIS ARCHAEOLOGICAL RECORD: PRELIMINARY RESULTS FROM THE AMERICAN SOUTHWEST

The Clovis people of Pleistocene North America are often interpreted as big game hunters who almost exclusively targeted large Pleistocene mammals. Such large mammals (especially mammoths and bison) are common at Clovis kill sites across the continent. This study reviews the published faunal remains of different Clovis kill sites in the American Southwest, as well as the excavation methods discussed in those publications. Results of this study show few sites with any taxa smaller than Pleistocene megafauna. There are also limited discussions in original publications (particularly the older publications) of excavation methods, with no indication of screening ever conducted before the 1960s. This suggests that the remains of many smaller taxa could have been lost due to imprecise excavation techniques. Thus, the interpretation of Clovis people as mainly big game hunters is at least potentially erroneous.