Bone Counts and Statistics: A Critique

The analysis of quantified vertebrate faunal data is important for the interpretation of many sites. This paper describes in some detail the strengths and weaknesses of the various quantification methods in use, focusing in particular on how both of these have often been misunderstood, and reviews certain studies using such data. It is shown that many of these lack logical or statistical validity, and that substantial claims have been made with little justification. It is suggested that greater co-operation between archaeologists and statisticians would be an important step towards remedying this situation.