Report of the Archaeological Investigations of the New Castle Court ...

4.1.2 FAUNAL REMAINS FROM FEATURE 20
NEW CASTLE COURT HOUSE PLAZA
NEW CASTLE, DELAWARE
4.0 ARTIFACT ANALYSIS
Most of the bones recovered from Feature 20 came from EU 8 (334 fragments recovered from
context 43, another 139 from context 44, and 175 from context 48). A large amount (n=297) of
the total number were fragmented, weathered or heavily worn and more than half of the
assemblage was classified as indeterminate mammal. The amount of weathering and wear on the
bones indicates that some quantity of these fragments were not recovered from their original
environment. Common explanations for fragmented and weathered secondary trash deposits
include “yard” trash later swept up and deposited elsewhere or contexts that were redistributed or
disturbed at a later date.
Medium and large mammals including cattle, sheep, pigs, and deer, comprised 33 percent of the
feature NISP and 89 percent of the biomass. Meat weight and biomass calculations tend to favor
large mammals especially if any quantity of cow bone was present. Birds accounted for just five
percent of the total NISP while fish made up another five percent (Table 6). The limited numbers
of birds and fish may be the result of several factors. These animals may not have been present on
site or were not deposed of in great numbers at this location. Field-recovery techniques favor the
collection of larger bone fragments. Although small in number, distinct species of birds and fish
including shad, turkey, and duck were recovered and indicate these animals were present.
Table 6. Faunal Remains Recovered from Feature 20
NISP % NISP MNI % MNI Bioms (kg) % Bioms
Cow; Bos taurus 87 11.5 3 17.7 43.57 64.0
Sheep/Goat; Ovis/capra 17 2.2 2 11.8 2.21 3.3
Deer; O. virginianus 17 2.2 1 5.9 3.43 5.0
Sheep/Deer; Ovis/Cervidae 5 0.7 --- --- 0.21 0.3
Pig; Sus scrofa 21 2.8 2 11.8 3.30 4.9
Large Mammal 49 6.5 --- --- 5.98 8.8
Medium Mammal 52 6.9 --- --- 2.13 3.1
Small Mammal 1 0.1 1 5.9 0.00 0.0
Indet Mammal 412 54.3 --- --- 6.69 9.8
Chicken; Gallus gallus 8 1.1 1 5.9 0.17 0.3
Turkey; Meleagris gallopavo 1 0.1 1 5.9 0.04 0.0
Duck; Anatinae 2 0.3 1 5.9 0.02 0.0
Medium Bird 8 1.1 --- --- 0.00 0.0
Medium Bird – Immature 3 0.4 1 5.9 0.00 0.0
Indet Bird 12 1.6 --- --- 0.06 0.0
Bass Species - small 4 0.5 1 5.9 0.00 0.0
Mackerel; Scomber scombus 1 0.1 1 5.9 0.00 0.0
Shad; Alosa sapidissima 1 0.1 1 5.9 0.00 0.0
Indet Fish 33 4.4 --- --- 0.07 0.1
Turtle; Terrapene carolina 25 3.3 1 5.9 0.20 0.3
TOTAL 759 100.0 17 100.3 68.08 99.9
The remains of cattle dominate the Feature 20 assemblage and at least three distinct animals were
present. One of the animals was less than 2-2.5 years while a second animal was older than three
years. With respect to body parts or cuts of meat, there was no clear pattern of consumption, but
20 of the 87 cow bones showed some evidence of butchery. Four of the vertebrae were sawn
through, but the remainder of the butchered bones was chopped or split, a less exacting form of
59