A case study in animal products and urban site formation processes: Charleston, South Carolina (USA)

ABSTRACT Twenty-four zooarchaeological collections from Charleston, South Carolina (USA; ca. 1690s–1820s), suggest choices in the use of animals could extend beyond hierarchical social distinctions, food, and meat utility. The city’s economy incorporated animals and animal products from nonmarket sources for purposes other than meat. Some people raised cattle and smaller livestock on their properties, perhaps slaughtering animals there. Low-meat-utility portions from the Head and Foot are present in every collection. Associating faunal collections with cost and social identity is challenged by the multiethnic composition of residential sites and trash commingled on-site. Refuse disposal and drainage control in this low-lying coastal city further hamper social interpretations. Nonetheless, by the 1750s–1820s, the townhouse assemblage does contain more taxa and is more diverse than other, contemporary assemblages, perhaps because of the diversity of people living on townhouse properties. This reflects dynamic urban site formation processes, challenging efforts to infer social status from faunal remains.