New Evidence from the Hokfv-Mocvse Shell Ring (5000–4800 cal BP) on the Emergence of Ring Sites on the South Atlantic Coast

Summary

This is an abstract from the "Coastal Environments in Archaeology: Ancient Life, Lore, and Landscapes" session, at the 88th annual meeting of the Society for American Archaeology.

Circular and arcuate shell rings along the South Atlantic coasts are the vestiges of some of the earliest known villages in North America. Most rings date to the Late Archaic period (5000–3000 BP) and are often associated with early pottery production, providing important insights into Indigenous economies, ceremonialism, cooperation, and collective action in the context of environmental change. However, little is known about when Indigenous communities first colonized the barrier islands or began constructing shell rings as habitation sites. We present data from the newly (re)discovered Hokfv-Mocvse (Muskogean for “new seashell”) Shell Ring located at Bluff Field on Ossabaw Island, Georgia. No ceramics were encountered in recent excavations at the site and the only material culture recovered were quartz stemmed projectile points, similar to points found over 100 miles inland. A Bayesian model of radiocarbon dates from multiple contexts at the site indicate that the shell ring was occupied between 5090 and 4740 cal BP (95% confidence), making it the earliest securely dated ring in the region. The Hokfv-Mocvse Shell Ring thus provides evidence and insight into the colonization and earliest occupation of Georgia’s barrier islands by Indigenous peoples.

This Resource is Part of the Following Collections

• Coastal Environments in Archaeology: Ancient Life, Lore, and Landscapes   •
• Society for American Archaeology 88th Annual Meeting, Portland, OR (2023)

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Record Identifiers

Abstract Id(s): 35699.0