Comparing Prehistoric Freshwater Mussel Shell Ring Site Locations in the Mississippi Yazoo Basin with Other Archaeological Site Types Using a Modern Flood Model

Summary

The Mississippi Delta is dotted with many types of aboriginal archaeological sites. Among these are freshwater mussel shell rings that seem to occur mainly along current or historical water sources. Using a modern flood model for the Mississippi Yazoo Basin, this paper will examine whether freshwater mussel shell ring sites in the Yazoo Basin occur predominately in highly flood-prone areas, as shell rings would create elevated surfaces for habitation. This paper will also compare mussel shell ring site locations with other aboriginal archaeological site locations in Quitman and Yazoo counties to determine whether there is a general correlation between flood-prone areas and site locations for all site types, or if there is a difference in distribution between mussel shell ring sites and other site types.

This Resource is Part of the Following Collections

• Society for American Archaeology 81st Annual Meeting, Orlando, FL (2016)

Keywords

Spatial Coverage