ABSTRACT
Fragmentation theory in archaeology has revolutionized how many scholars conceptualize and describe the patterns of fragmentation of material, the accumulation of “rubbish,” and the interconnectedness of fragments, both from their initial, whole form as well as their transformation to objects with new stories as parts of a whole. An application of this theory to zooarchaeology, especially in the confluence of zooarchaeology and human-animal studies, allows us to apply these concepts and frameworks to recognize and explore a fundamental tension in zooarchaeology: how can we recognize the agency of not only individual animals but animal communities while retaining scientific rigor in the exploration of fragmented and co-mingled animal remains? This paper explores three case studies where these questions come to the forefront of our zooarchaeological analysis.
