Anthropogenic versus non-anthropogenic bird bone assemblages: New criteria for their distinction

Distinguishing cultural from non-cultural modifications is of crucial importance in any zooarchaeological study. As a contribution to this goal, this paper deals with human damage to bird bones, which is undocumented or poorly documented in the field of avian taphonomy. It provides detailed descriptions of peeling and squashing (which occur on the humerus during disarticulation of the elbow), using both modern and archaeological material. I also address the questions of under-representation of articular ends and human tooth marks on bone