In the same way that articulated bones might tell an archaeologist something about butchering, burning patterns can inform us both that the Antelope Cave denizens were roasting jackrabbits and whether they were roasted whole or “quartered”. Roasting meat will result in burning of only those skeletal parts that were exposed to fire, such as parts that have little flesh to protect it from the heat and parts exposed through butchering.

I found that some skeletal parts were burned at a much higher frequency than others. The facial portion of the skull was burned at a much higher rate than the back of the head, and it may be that the brain was removed (it may have been used for treating the furs), and the rest of the head was placed on the fire to roast the meager amount of meat (or tongue).

It was also found that the bone portions that make up the shoulder joint were burned at different rates, with the uppermost portion of the limb being more frequently burned than the scapula. This would occur only if the limb was removed and roasted as a separate unit. The same pattern was seen for the hip joint.

As I pointed out in the figure on the last page, the last lumbar vertebrae was burned more frequently than the remaining vertebrae and the pelvis. This suggests to me that the the lower back was removed as a single unit (as suggested by the articulation patterns as well) and roasted. Indeed, this portion of the rabbit is known by gourmands as the “saddle of hare”, and is where the tenderloins are located.

Lastly, the ankle and wrist joints show high rates of burning. On the other hand, the center of the upper forelimb and hindlimb have little burning, as the meat on these body parts protected the bone from heat.