A faunal assemblage from a harbor, Salina Bay : animals in maritime foodways and zooarchaeological analysis from an underwater context in Malta

Abstract

This dissertation investigates the integration of zooarchaeological analysis within underwater archaeology, focusing on the submerged harbor archaeological site of Salina Bay, Malta, dated primarily to Late Antiquity (250–750 CE). The study addresses the methodological challenges and interpretive potential of analyzing faunal remains from underwater contexts, an area often underrepresented in underwater archaeological research. By examining the faunal assemblage recovered during the 2019 archaeological campaigns, this research explores taxonomic diversity, butchery cut mark patterns, and diet involving animal meat and by-products. Additionally, it evaluates taphonomic processes—both anthropogenic and biogeochemical—that influence the preservation and state of faunal remains recovered from an underwater archaeological site. Primary data collection involved elemental and taxonomic category classification using comparative osteological collections. Further data collection included age estimation through epiphysial fusion, and tooth eruption and wear stages. Key findings reveal an assemblage (NSP = 145) dominated by domesticated genus groups such as Bos, Sus, and Ovicaprids. Examination of cut marks related to primary butchery practices, including the dismemberment at articulation joints and defleshing from bones. Taphonomic analysis highlighted the distinct preservation challenges posed by submerged environments, offering new perspectives on the site formation process observed in the Salina Bay archaeological site in an archaeofaunal assemblage marked by surface abrasion and fragmentation. This interdisciplinary study bridges gaps between zooarchaeology and underwater archaeology by demonstrating the value of faunal analyses in reconstructing human-animal interactions within maritime cultural landscapes. It underscores the importance of implementing standardized methodologies throughout the project plan design of an underwater archaeological campaign in order to contribute to zooarchaeological and taphonomic research.