Seasonal oyster harvesting recorded in a Late Archaic period shell ring
Seasonal oyster harvesting recorded in a Late Archaic period shell ring
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DOI：
10.1371/journal.pone.0224666
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发表时间：
2019-11-20
期刊：
影响因子：
3.7
通讯作者：
Kowalewski, Michal
中科院分区：
文献类型：
--
作者：
Cannarozzi, Nicole R.;Kowalewski, Michal
晚白垩世（5000-3000 B. P.）几十年来，贝壳环一直是考古学家争论的焦点。这些年轮被不同地解释为季节性宴会/仪式聚会的产物，永久居民产生的马达加斯加食物垃圾，或季节性和常年活动的结合。壳环的季节性可以通过重建牡蛎（Crassostrea virginica）的收获时间来评估，牡蛎是壳环的主要动物组成部分。我们估计牡蛎收获的时间在圣凯瑟琳贝壳环（格鲁吉亚，美国）的大小频率分布的印象odostome（Boonea impressa），寄生蜗牛无意中收集的寄生蜗牛与牡蛎宿主的统计模型。从三个考古发掘单位的odostome样本进行了评估，对resternation模型的基础上每月的人口数据，获得现今的人口Boonea impressa。对于所有样品，收获是不太可能开始早于晚秋和结束晚于晚春，表明在圣凯瑟琳贝壳环的贝壳存款形成季节性与大量的收获活动仅限于非夏季月份。对所有样本而言，再生产模型表明，收获活动可能发生在多个月内。然而，在短期、非夏收活动的广泛时间平均记录的情况下，这些分析结果也是可以预期的。无论确切的收获时间如何，结果都指向季节性收获，并表明牡蛎种群可能选择不食用夏季牡蛎，以专注于其他资源，避免不美味的食物，降低病原体风险，或确保可持续的收获。
The function of Late Archaic period (5000-3000 B.P.) shell rings has been a focus of debate among archaeologists for decades. These rings have been variously interpreted as a product of seasonal feasting/ceremonial gatherings, quotidian food refuse generated by permanent dwellers, or a combination of seasonal and perennial activities. Seasonality of shell rings can be assessed by reconstructing the harvest time of oysters (Crassostrea virginica), the primary faunal component of shell rings. We estimated the timing of oyster harvest at St. Catherines Shell Ring (Georgia, USA) by statistical modeling of size frequency distributions of the impressed odostome (Boonea impressa), a parasitic snail inadvertently gathered by Archaic peoples with its oyster host. The odostome samples from three archaeological excavation units were evaluated against resampling models based on monthly demographic data obtained for present-day populations of Boonea impressa. For all samples, the harvest was unlikely to start earlier than late fall and end later than late spring, indicating that shell deposits at St. Catherines Shell Ring formed seasonally with substantial harvesting activities restricted to non-summer months. For all samples, the resampling models indicated that harvesting activities likely occurred during multiple months. However, these analytical outcomes would also be expected in the case of extensively time-averaged records of short-term, non-summer harvest events. Regardless of the exact harvest duration, the results point to seasonal harvesting and suggest that Archaic populations may have opted out of consuming summer oysters to focus on other resources, avoid unpalatable food, decrease pathogen risks, or ensure sustainable harvesting.