Shellfishing, sea levels, and the earliest Native American villages (5000–3800 yrs. BP) of the South Atlantic Coast of the U.S

Shell ring archaeological sites are one of the most visible site types along the lower South Atlantic Coast of the United States. These cultural sites are large, circular to arcuate piles of mollusk shells with some reaching over three meters in elevation and over 100 m in diameter. They are comprised largely of mollusk shells (e.g., Eastern oyster, Crassostrea virginica), but also contain early pottery, nonhuman faunal remains, and other artifacts. Our work establishes that they represent the earliest widespread Native American villages occupied year-round in the Eastern Woodlands of North America. Significantly, our results from sea-level modelling and isotope geochemistry on mollusks establish that the inhabitants of these earliest villages (ca. 5000-3800 yrs. BP) lived within a fluctuating coastal environment, harvested certain resources year-round, and targeted diverse habitats across the estuaries. Both the growth and decline of these earliest villages are associated with a concomitant rise and lowering of sea level that impacted the productivity of the oyster reef fishery along the South Atlantic Coast. Despite these large-scale environmental changes, this research indicates that Native American fishing villages persisted along the coast for over 1000 years.

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Publication Details

Journal
Scientific Reports
Published
2024-09-27
DOI
https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-024-72567-w
Citations
3
Primary Topic
Archaeology and ancient environmental studies
Type
article
Field-Weighted Citation Impact
4.76

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article

Shellfishing, sea levels, and the earliest Native American villages (5000–3800 yrs. BP) of the South Atlantic Coast of the U.S

Carla S. Hadden, C. Fred T. Andrus, Rachel Cajigas, Anna Semon et al.
3 citations
Scientific Reports
Archaeology and ancient environmental studies
4.76
article

Shellfishing, sea levels, and the earliest Native American villages (5000–3800 yrs. BP) of the South Atlantic Coast of the U.S

Carla S. Hadden, C. Fred T. Andrus, Rachel Cajigas, Anna Semon, Matthew C. Sanger, Matthew D. Howland, Clark Alexander, Elliot H. Blair, Isabelle Lulewicz, Karen Y. Smith, Victor D. Thompson, Carey J. Garland, David Hurst Thomas
article en
3 citations

Abstract

Shell ring archaeological sites are one of the most visible site types along the lower South Atlantic Coast of the United States. These cultural sites are large, circular to arcuate piles of mollusk shells with some reaching over three meters in elevation and over 100 m in diameter. They are comprised largely of mollusk shells (e.g., Eastern oyster, Crassostrea virginica), but also contain early pottery, nonhuman faunal remains, and other artifacts. Our work establishes that they represent the earliest widespread Native American villages occupied year-round in the Eastern Woodlands of North America. Significantly, our results from sea-level modelling and isotope geochemistry on mollusks establish that the inhabitants of these earliest villages (ca. 5000-3800 yrs. BP) lived within a fluctuating coastal environment, harvested certain resources year-round, and targeted diverse habitats across the estuaries. Both the growth and decline of these earliest villages are associated with a concomitant rise and lowering of sea level that impacted the productivity of the oyster reef fishery along the South Atlantic Coast. Despite these large-scale environmental changes, this research indicates that Native American fishing villages persisted along the coast for over 1000 years.

Scientific ReportsVol. 14(1)
Skidaway Institute of Oceanography (US), National Museum of the American Indian (US), Pennsylvania State University (US), South Carolina Department of Natural Resources (US), American Museum of Natural History (US), University of Georgia (US), University of Alabama (US), Wichita State University (US), Geological Survey of Alabama (US)
National Science Foundation, Smithsonian Institution, University of Georgia, South Carolina Department of Natural Resources
Life below water
Openalex Percentile: Top 6%
Archaeology and ancient environmental studies
4.76
DOIOpen Access PDFOpenAlex
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