Doctoral Dissertation Improvement Award: Analysis of Shellfish for Environmental and Chronological Interpretation

University Of Florida, Gainesville FL

Investigators

Abstract

Shellfish were an important resource for past societies and the many shell matrix sites found along world coastlines, riverbanks, lakes and creeks are a testament to that. These sites reflect not only a record of subsistence, but contain valuable information about the past environment and how people interacted with it and each other. Due to the difficulty in excavating and transporting large amounts of shell, invertebrates are typically not included in zooarchaeological analysis which results in a lack of comparative data on the composition of vertebrates and invertebrates in shell matrix sites. This interdisciplinary research combines zooarchaeology and stable isotope geochemistry to understand the role of shellfish in the processes and practices that led to the formation of shell ring sites on the coastal southeastern US. As a prominent component of shell rings, the eastern oyster (Crassostrea virginica) will be the focus of a season of capture study that uses modern environmental data as a proxy for past environmental conditions. Further, understanding use patterns of oysters in the past has important implications for the management and conservation of the species today. Given the decline in oyster populations world-wide, archaeology is uniquely situated to provide a long-term, historical perspective on the human impact on the coast and the health and sustainability of its important resources. Results of this research will be shared globally, including a web-based guide outlining preparation techniques for geochemical analysis of oysters, implications of the findings for estuarine health, and value for archaeological research. Undergraduate student participants in the project will gain laboratory experience and training in zooarchaeological methods and stable isotope analysis. Shell rings are a class of shell-matrix site in which form and function have been variously theorized as the products of either habitation, ceremonial practice or a combination of the two. Central to these theories is seasonality, wherein ceremonial sites would likely demonstrate seasonal use when compared to year-round habitation sites. Faunal remains are typically used to address the seasonal nature of these sites, however invertebrate remains are rarely included in analysis, limiting our understanding of combined vertebrate and invertebrate faunal use patterns. Under the direction of Dr. Susan deFrance, Co-PI Nicole Cannarozzi will investigate the differential formation and use of two Late Archaic Period Shell rings located on St. Catherines Island, Georgia by comparing the stable isotopic composition of the carbonate in modern and archaeological oysters from these sites. Over a two-year period, the Co-PI collected oysters and water samples from St. Catherines Island and measured water temperature and salinity. These data will be coupled with a comprehensive zooarchaeological analysis of vertebrates and invertebrates from column samples taken from various contexts within the two sites to understand faunal use, settlement patterns and depositional practices. This study highlights the value of interdisciplinary research in archaeology and will clarify our understanding of the timing of formation of shell matrix sites, faunal resource use and seasonal settlement and mobility. This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.