Bivalve Stories and Snail Tales: Reconstructing the Late Archaic Environment at the Tomoka Complex, Northeast Florida.

Author

Steven R. England, Eastern Kentucky UniversityFollow

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Creation Date

Spring 2016

Major

Anthropology

Department

Anthropology, Sociology, and Social Work

Degree

Undergraduate

Mentor

Jon C. Endonino

Mentor Department

Anthropology, Sociology, and Social Work

Abstract

Mollusks inhabit specific ecological niches and can be used as proxies for past environmental conditions. Changes in the composition of molluscan assemblages register changing ecological conditions and offer an opportunity to examine human responses to environmental change. This paper presents the preliminary analysis molluscan species from the Late Archaic Tomoka Complex in Northeast Florida. Changes in the species composition and frequency of mollusks coupled with the available radiometric assays are used to reconstruct the environmental conditions during the occupation of the Tomoka Complex and, importantly, the environmental conditions attending Late Archaic mortuary mound construction.