The influence of time averaging and space averaging on the application of foraging theory in zooarchaeology

Use of models derived from foraging theory to explain variation in prey-abundance indices over time and space, evidenced in the zooarchaeological record, is common in western North America. Such use presumes that models derived from ecologically scaled observations are applicable to archaeologically scaled observations. The influence of time averaging and space averaging, whether inherent in the zooarchaeological record or resulting from analytical lumping, on interpretations of changes in relative availability of prey is demonstrated with real data to mask fine-scale variation. The critical issue that must be addressed at the beginning of any application of foraging-theory models is the specification of the spatio-temporal scale of the research question. 2003 Elsevier Science Ltd. All rights reserved.