Dating a Tree Island: A Comparison between Faunal Bone, Shell, Pottery, and Coprolites

Author(s): Maureen Mahoney; Domonique deBeaubien

Year: 2017

Summary

South Florida’s tree island hammocks are islands that were once completely surrounded by water and used as habitation areas from the Archaic period and beyond. Although many islands along the coast can be dated using marine shell, interior tree islands (such as those found on Seminole Tribe of Florida reservation lands) generally lack these artifacts making for a difficult dating strategy. This paper will focus on a comparison of dating material, including shell, pottery, faunal bone, and coprolites to determine the accuracy of results from each sample type. This analysis will prove important in determining the overall age of tree island archaeological sites located in South Florida, and provide unique insight into tree island formation processes.

Cite this Record

Dating a Tree Island: A Comparison between Faunal Bone, Shell, Pottery, and Coprolites. Maureen Mahoney, Domonique deBeaubien. Presented at The 81st Annual Meeting of the Society for American Archaeology, Vancouver, British Columbia. 2017 ( tDAR id: 429300)

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Keywords

Spatial Coverage

min long: -91.274; min lat: 24.847 ; max long: -72.642; max lat: 36.386 ;

Record Identifiers

Abstract Id(s): 16880