Variability in Molluscan Assemblages: Indicators of Changing Cultural and Environmental Factors in Lucayan Life

Summary

This is an abstract from the "Advances in the Archaeology of the Bahama Archipelago" session, at the 84th annual meeting of the Society for American Archaeology.

We compared molluscan faunal assemblages from two neighboring Lucayan sites, the Pigeon Creek dune 1 (Late Lucayan) and the Pigeon Creek dune 2 (Early Lucayan) sites located on San Salvador, Bahamas. Two species, Lombatus gigas (Queen Conch) and Codakia orbicularis (Tiger Lucine), demonstrated the most significant temporal change in frequency and weight. At the Early Lucayan period settlement, we see significantly more conch and very little codakia. During the later period, the amount of conch decreased and codakia dominates the assemblage. There are greater numbers of nerites in the earlier period, while the tulip shell, Fasciolaria tulipa only appears in the later occupation. Why the changes? We offer a number of cultural and environmental explanations such as over predation, climate change, and other factors influencing collection and consumption. We compare our observations with other findings from the insular Caribbean.

This Resource is Part of the Following Collections

• Society for American Archaeology 84th Annual Meeting, Albuquerque, NM (2019)   •
• Advances in the Archaeology of the Bahama Archipelago

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Record Identifiers

Abstract Id(s): 24318