Multiple-Proxy Seasonality Indicators: An Integrative Approach to Assess Shell Midden Formations from Late Archaic Shell Rings in the Coastal Southeast North America

Abstract

Multiple-proxy seasonality studies, in combination with stratigraphic reconstructions, provide data critical to understanding how Late Archaic residents of the Georgia Bight created shell middens. Deposited as large circular rings, these middens in part contain fishes caught year-round, clams and oysters harvested seasonally, and tree nuts gathered in the fall and potentially consumed during other portions of the year. These findings highlight the benefit of applying multiple-proxy seasonality indicators, in conjunction with detailed stratigraphic analyses, to better understand formational histories of shell middens not only in the Georgia Bight, but on coastlines globally. Our multiple-proxy seasonality data also provides a more refined view of Late Archaic occupations of the Georgia Bight as it suggests communities adopted a complex settlement strategy in which populations were dispersed for part of the year, including in small villages, some of which were then used for large-scale gatherings that aggregated populations during the winter and perhaps fall months.