From Habitat Exploitation to Monument Construction: Exploring the Nature of Shell Deposits at Crystal River and Roberts Island through Stable Isotope Geochemistry

Summary

Debates centering on the monumental nature of shell mound sites have often failed to provide direct empirical evidence for interpretation of monument construction and or simple midden accumulation. Our research in the Crystal River region illustrates the complexity of such sites. Through our research at Crystal River and Roberts Island Shell Mound, we aim to offer better quantitative assessments of the temporality of shell deposit construction, Native subsistence practices, and mobility patterns. We couple Bayesian analysis of radiocarbon dates with results from our study of oxygen isotope analysis from C. virginica, which was then coupled with the absolute value of the δ18Owater values of surrounding habitats. Because these δ18Owater values vary synchronously with salinity, assuming a relatively constant δ18Owater/salinity gradient since the time of site occupation, we assessed shifts in habitat exploitation throughout the phases of occupation at both sites. Ultimately, midden accumulation occurred throughout the year in later phases of occupation while oyster collected from mound deposits indicate collection in colder months of the year. The results indicate shifts in habitat exploitation and a contrast in mound and midden season of collection and have allowed us to reimagine temporality of ritual and monumental construction in central Gulf Coast Florida.

This Resource is Part of the Following Collections

• Society for American Archaeology 81st Annual Meeting, Orlando, FL (2016)   •
• Terraforming and Monumentality in Hunter-Gatherer-Fisher Landscapes

Keywords

Spatial Coverage