Shell Midden Microarchaeology Unraveled

Shell middens are complex anthropic constructions crossing many chronologies and territories. They are one of the most important contexts to interpret the formation of the archaeological record and have been associated with different human activities around the world. Therefore, for such complex deposits, micro-scale analyses are of the utmost importance to better understand site formation, site function, human behavior, paleogeography and paleoenvironment.

The archaeological record goes beyond what is seen with the naked eye and is a more complex reality where the minutiae are important sources of information. This approach is increasingly interdisciplinary with contributions from biology, geology, chemistry, and even physics. One of the greatest obstacles has been the difficulty of integrating macro- and microscopic records, which has been alleviated by a new generation of archaeologists specializing in geoarchaeology (micromorphology, geochemistry), zooarchaeology (sclerochronology, isotopes), archaeobotany (charcoal, seed, fruit, pollen and phytoliths), residue analysis and use-wear.

Site formation and function are universal questions to all shell middens, regardless of their different chronologies and locations. We aim to bring together different methodological approaches to the study of the archaeological record in order to illuminate the singular source of information that shell middens are.