Doctoral Dissertation Research: Variation in Island Adaptations

Texas A&M University, College Station TX

Investigators

Abstract

This project will investigate the origins and development of island subsistence-based economies. In this dissertation proposal a case study is presented in which two Atlantic islands were likely colonized multiple times by more than one cultural group. The islands also have varying environmental characteristics and human subsistence adaptations. The archaeological study of ancient islanders reveals novel information regarding the many ways in which humans adapt and prosper, as islands present often limited, marginal, and vulnerable landscapes. Research on one island shows the arrival of Iron Age peoples who brought with them grains, herding animals, and other cultural elements. In addition, recent excavations on the other revealed a Roman factory where marine gastropods, Stramonita haemastoma, were exploited for commercial purposes to obtain the highly prized royal purple dye. These findings may suggest that the human settlement occurred due to the expansion of ancient seafaring trading networks with the intent to exploit coastal natural resources. Archaeology confirms the islands to have been a nexus of cultural exchange and diversity. Evidence from ancient material culture, linguistics, and genetics suggest the presence of a heterogenous sociopolitical and economic landscape in the archipelago; however, there is little scholarly consensus as to who exactly peopled the islands and why. A major obstacle to answering these questions is the deficit of reliable chronologies for the entire region – a problem that will be tackled in this current research by developing a series of radiocarbon chronologies. The project will use stable isotope ratios of carbon, nitrogen, oxygen, and strontium coupled with ancient DNA markers from archaeological human remains to better understand local adaptive strategies, social organization, and landscape management methods. The research will address unresolved questions such as the role of coastal resources in the aboriginal economies. Through exploring diet and mobility, researchers will deepen into the issue of understanding aboriginal modes of production within such culturally diverse island communities. 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.