Comparison of 1/8″- and 1/4″-Mesh Recovery of Controlled Samples of Small-to-Medium-Sized Mammals

Abstract

Most previous screen experiments have assessed various mesh-size biases in the recovery of faunal remains from specific archaeological samples. These tests provided detailed information about recovery biases at those sites. To augment these previous tests, Shaffer (1992) conducted 1/4″-screen tests on modern comparative mammal skeletons to assess specific biases for the taxa tested. However, because 1/8″ screens are now widely used in archaeological sampling, potential biases should be assessed. Results presented here document hypothetical best recovery of the taxa tested and substantial increased recovery of mammals weighing between 18 and 340 g for 1/8″-screen tests relative to 1/4″-screen tests.