Reconstructing Holocene Coastal Adaptations: An Evaluation of the Archaeological Shell Midden Record along Guyana’s Northwestern Coast

Summary

This is an abstract from the "Recent Advances in Zooarchaeological Methods" session, at the 88th annual meeting of the Society for American Archaeology.

Guyana’s shell midden complex, which stretches across its northwestern coast, documents more than 7,500 years of human land use. Traditional interpretations of the middens have assumed a degree of environmental constancy save for fluctuating Holocene sea levels associated with species found in marine and brackish waters. This study provides a temporal synthesis of the archaeological record of seven shell midden sites associated with sea-level rise between 7200 and 6000 BP and the emergence of mangrove swamps between 6000 and 4000 BP. Stable carbon δ13C and oxygen δ18O isotope compositions data are utilized to assess the degree of dietary stability of the early to middle Holocene. Though a stability in the presence of C3 plants appears common during the Holocene, analysis indicates increased warming in the early Holocene with periods of open canopy. δ18O isotope values compositions also suggest that isotopically similar drinking water sources existed at all sites. While a reliance upon shellfish species continues throughout the Holocene, mobility may have increased with expansion of areas of open canopy. Reassessment of the zooarchaeological record indicates a broadening of the diet breadth.

This Resource is Part of the Following Collections

• Recent Advances in Zooarchaeological Methods   •
• Society for American Archaeology 88th Annual Meeting, Portland, OR (2023)

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Record Identifiers

Abstract Id(s): 35728.0