Preliminary Data for Developing a Fine-Scale Model of Socioecological Change on Ossabaw Island, Georgia

Summary

This is an abstract from the "SAA 2023: Individual Abstracts" session, at the 88th annual meeting of the Society for American Archaeology.

This research project examines the history of human-environment interaction on Ossabaw Island, Georgia. Archaeological collections for Woodland (ca. 1000 BC–AD 1000) and Mississippian period (ca. AD 1000–1700) occupations of the island are combined with environmental data synthesized from the analysis of sediment cores taken from five freshwater ponds on the island with the goal of producing a fine-grained chronological model of environmental change on the island. Pollen, phytoliths, and microscopic charcoal extracted from the sediment cores are combined with radiocarbon dating and Bayesian modeling to assess the overall environmental history of the island, looking specifically for ecological changes that co-occur with significant cultural events signaled by the archaeological record. Once aggregated, this data set will be used to examine the overall histories of demographic change and landscape modification undertaken by past groups, with specific attention to how changing environmental and cultural conditions necessitated cooperation and institutional change to better situate these groups within their ever-changing circumstances. Here, I present preliminary data collected during the 2022 University of Georgia Field School and discuss the research design, anticipated outcomes, and potential for broader application of this paleoenvironmental method.

This Resource is Part of the Following Collections

• SAA 2023: Individual Abstracts   •
• Society for American Archaeology 88th Annual Meeting, Portland, OR (2023)

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Record Identifiers

Abstract Id(s): 36781.0