Coastal Estuarine Biocultural Adaptation

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For much of prehistory, hunting and gathering was the primary means of making a living throughout the world. The purpose of this study is to examine the adaptation of eleven late prehistoric coastal estuarine populations inhabiting the eastern United States. We will document several indicators of nutrition and health in order to interpret the biological correlates of coastal adaptation, particularly with reference to the foraging and consumption of marine foods. These populations inhabited two estuarine zones and two chronological periods which will allow us to investigate similarities and differences in nutrition and health, and the role of a marine-focused economy in the transition to maize agriculture. Comparisons also will be made according to age and sex. The results of this study are important for integrating coastal forager adaptation within the broader context of hunters and gatherer studies and for understanding the role of coastal subsistence strategies in the important transition to agriculture in late North American prehistory.