Seasonal Analysis of Four Coastal Archaeological Sites in Eastern Maine Using Mollusks

Summary

Analysis of archaeological clam shells can provide important indicators of the seasonality of an archaeological site. To address the question of seasonality at four Woodland period archaeological sites along the coast of Maine, we have collected monthly modern samples of the soft-shelled clam Mya arenaria from nearby clam flats to establish a baseline to which excavated samples can be compared. The analyses of modern shells will show how seasons are recorded in the target species in Maine; analyses of the archaeological shells will provide a proxy for season of occupation at these archaeological sites. Two methods will be used with these shells. One method will utilize acetate peels to determine seasonal growth increments of modern and archaeological shell samples. The other will determine isotopic ratios of O16 and O18 to track temperature fluctuations at the collection sites. These data are integral to our understanding of the context of Native peoples’ subsistence and behavior patterns and will allow us to test theories regarding coast to inland seasonal movement along the coast of Maine.

This Resource is Part of the Following Collections

• Society for American Archaeology 83rd Annual Meeting, Washington, DC (2018)

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Record Identifiers

Abstract Id(s): 21714