Foragers in Middle Atlantic Prehistory

The Middle Atlantic has one of the most fertile and complicated archaeological records of human foraging societies in the United States and is arguably in a position to contribute more globally to studies of foraging culture. Yet archaeologists in the region tend to reference external forager models that do not fit the circumstances of a region so ecologically and culturally diverse. This may be due to a dearth of what has historically been recognized as prerequisite: a strong ethnographic record, well-preserved features and perishables, as well as the complex ecological zonation of the Middle Atlantic region. Nonetheless, there is a sustained history of research into foraging lifeways throughout the region that ranges from detailed synchronic site analysis to broad-scale environmental reconstructions and settlement pattern and landscape studies. This session proposes a regionally-informed frame of reference for studying foragers in prehistory. It emphasizes the unique, problem-focused approach of Middle Atlantic archaeologists to the study of foragers and highlights the wide range of evidence and approaches that regional archaeologists draw upon to address their questions.