This thread is taking a decidedly fascinating turn...
I'd suggest examining the ceramological evidence associated with the site - meats intended for stewing will be chopped up to liberate fats and juices and pottery/cookware may help identify the type of cookery. I am pretty sure there is a link between the pattern of sheep butchery and the prevalence of pottery types that resemble stewing dishes in Roman sites in Tunisia, for example, and this is certainly the case today.
As an anectodal aside - I asked a Chinese chef how to butcher fowl and he said that the bird should be cut up according to the following pattern: one big chop from stem to stern with a cleaver, followed by three transverse chops resulting in eight pieces suitable for picking up with chopsticks (if the head and feet are present they are chopped up as well into roughly the same sized pieces).
Cheers,
Ariane
Prof. Ariane Burke,
Dept. d'anthropologie,
Université de Montréal,
C.P. 6128, Succursale Centre-Ville
Montreal, QC
Canada, H3C 3J7
Tel. 514-343-6574 Fax. 514-343-2494
http://www.mapageweb.umontreal.ca/burkea/
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