Past Human-Shark Interactions
Part of: Society for American Archaeology 89th Annual Meeting, New Orleans, LA (2024)
This collection contains the abstracts of the papers presented in the session entitled "Past Human-Shark Interactions" at the 89th annual meeting of the Society for American Archaeology.
Shark remains from archaeological sites are not normally focused on, and this symposium will address that study gap. We bring together zooarchaeologists whose research has included sharks to stimulate idea exchange and further the field as a whole. Sharks were eaten, their vertebrae were used as beads and pendants, their skin used as shagreen, and their teeth were used in weaponry, jewelry, and as magico-religious items. Shark teeth in particular were traded to inland areas. Capture methods were unique among fin-fishers and included a range of unique fishing gear such as large wooden hooks, small dugout canoes, and sometimes shark rattles. Although most sharks were captured from warmer marine waters, some were also caught in more temperate areas, and so this symposium will appeal to a wide range of archaeologists.
Other Keywords
Zooarchaeology •
Coastal and Island Archaeology •
Shark •
Mississippian •
Subsistence and Foodways •
Ideology •
Cahokia •
Environment •
Use-Wear Analysis •
Symbols
Geographic Keywords
Barbados (Country) •
North America (Continent) •
South America (Continent) •
United States of America (Country) •
Belize (Country) •
Republic of Panama (Country) •
Co-operative Republic of Guyana (Country) •
Netherlands Antilles (Country) •
Republic of Suriname (Country) •
Aruba (Country)