Ancient Environmental DNA: A Novel Approach to Investigating an Early Classic Period Hohokam Trash Mound Context

Summary

This is an abstract from the "Multidisciplinary Investigations of a Transitional Early Classic Period Hohokam Trash Mound at AZ U:9:319(ASM), Mesa, Arizona" session, at the 90th annual meeting of the Society for American Archaeology.

While various ethnographic and archaeological studies have shed light on different plant use in the Southwest, the breadth of plant use remains more enigmatic within the archaeological record. Like most artifacts studied in the archaeological record, ecofacts are at the mercy of preservational biases, which often favor specific contexts and plant species. However, using environmental DNA (eDNA), or the genetic material obtained from sediments, in conjunction with other archaeobotanical analyses can better position archaeologists to characterize vegetation at a given site. This study aims to build upon previous work by investigating plant use at AZ U:9:319(ASM), an early Classic period Hohokam trash mound site located in Mesa, Arizona, through the use of eDNA. Additionally, this investigation is a novel pursuit as it is the first to implement eDNA techniques in a Hohokam trash mound context, allowing us to highlight the strengths and weaknesses of eDNA in this context. By detailing our methodology and discussing the implications of eDNA analysis, we hope to better understand and articulate the use of both domesticated and wild plants and, more broadly, resource management during a critical time of social transformation and fluorescence for the Hohokam peoples.

This Resource is Part of the Following Collections

• Multidisciplinary Investigations of a Transitional Early Classic Period Hohokam Trash Mound at AZ U:9:319(ASM), Mesa, Arizona   •
• Society for American Archaeology 90th Annual Meeting, Denver, CO (2025)

Keywords

Record Identifiers

Abstract Id(s): 51575