The Function of Woodland Period Shell Rings as Seen at the Mound Field Site (8WA8)

Summary

What purpose did Woodland period shell rings along the Gulf Coast of Florida hold? These unique architectural features have been explained as specific patterns of trash disposal, protection against flooding events, and as barriers from intruders, among other things, but no answers have stood to truly explain their proliferation and significance during the Woodland period. Recent excavations in 2015 by Dr. Mike Russo (National Park Service) and in 2016 by Dr. Tanya Peres (Florida State University) of areas of the shell ring at the Mound Field site (8Wa8) in Wakulla County, Florida, revealed a striking number of features inside and outside of the ring. The frequency and variety of these features provide essential information for research questions regarding the purposes of Woodland period shell rings. This research analyzes particular features at Mound Field to interpret the function of the shell ring and the overall use of the site. These data are then compared with those from contemporaneous sites to examine the origin and purpose of Woodland period shell rings. The information gained from this study is valuable in the growing segment within southeastern archaeology of Woodland shell ring studies.

This Resource is Part of the Following Collections

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

Keywords

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Record Identifiers

Abstract Id(s): 22062