Eating escargot: seasonal terrestrial gastropod exploitation by forest foragers in the ethnoarchaeological record of Central Africa

Abstract In the prehistoric record, the presence of small-sized resources including gastropods is often viewed as a marker of increased dietary breadth, declining foraging efficiency and/or flexible subsistence patterns involving diversified foraging activities. However, researchers often find it difficult to distinguish natural gastropod accumulations from those created by anthropogenic processes. Here we report on the context, profitability and methods of the seasonal hand-collecting and processing of terrestrial gastropods based on the observations of contemporary Central African forest foragers. In this context, gastropods were exploited in response to temporary and seasonal reductions in the availability of meat and changes in labor demands that allowed women and children to engage in this activity. Analyses of faunal remains from a wet season encampment presented here shows how different kinds of gastropod processing are reflected in the ethnoarchaeological record. These analyses validate several of the characteristics currently used by archaeologists to identify anthropogenic gastropod assemblages. Overall, the degree of burning, specimen completeness, and spatial distribution of snail shells parallels that of other small-sized fauna. Some characteristics, such as shell completeness and spatial association, can reflect different preparation techniques that, in this case, may be indicators of ethnic identity and site clean-up activities. These data also have implications for how terrestrial gastropod consumption might be reflected in other kinds of archaeological evidence. The example discussed here can serve as a model to help archaeologists distinguish diversified seasonal foraging from larger-scale dietary shifts.