方法对比

	个体最小数量	鉴定标本数量
领域	考古学	考古学
方法族	Process / pipeline	Process / pipeline
起源年份	1953	1971
提出者	Theodore White	R. E. Chaplin
类型	Faunal quantification method	Faunal quantification method
开创性文献	White, T. E. (1953). A method of calculating the dietary percentages of various food animals utilized by aboriginal peoples. American Antiquity, 19(4), 396-398.	Chaplin, R. E. (1971). The Study of Animal Bones from Archaeological Sites. Seminar Press.
别名	MNI method, minimum individual number	NISP method, specimen count
相关	4	4
摘要	Minimum number of individuals (MNI) is a quantitative zooarchaeological method that estimates the minimum number of animals represented in a faunal assemblage based on the frequency of unique skeletal elements. Developed by Theodore White in 1953, it is one of the most widely used techniques for analyzing animal bone assemblages from archaeological sites. The MNI method helps archaeologists understand hunting and butchering patterns, interpret subsistence practices, and assess the diversity of fauna exploited by past human populations.	Number of identified specimens (NISP) is a fundamental zooarchaeological method that quantifies the abundance of faunal remains by counting all identifiable bone fragments or specimens in an assemblage. Formalized by R. E. Chaplin and later refined by Donald Grayson and others, NISP is the most straightforward and widely used quantification metric in zooarchaeology. Despite its simplicity, NISP is sensitive to both cultural and taphonomic factors that affect preservation, fragmentation, and identification of bone assemblages.