Submerged landscapes, marine transgression and underwater shell middens: Comparative analysis of site formation and taphonomy in Europe and North America

Hale, Jessica Cook; Benjamín, Jonathan; Woo, Katherine; Astrup, Peter Moe; McCarthy, J.; Hale, Nathan L.; Stankiewicz, Francis; Wiseman, Chelsea; Skriver, Claus; Garrison, Ervan G.; Ulm, Sean; Bailey, Geoff

doi:10.1016/j.quascirev.2021.106867

Cited by 23 publications

(8 citation statements)

References 49 publications

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“…For B2020, this included ∼80 separate news articles (e.g., Bradley, 2020; France‐Press, 2020; Michelmore,2020; Pinkstone, 2020; Watson, 2021; Young, 2020) in addition to numerous Twitter feeds and blog posts. The scientific literature has also uncritically referred to B2020's work (e.g., Crabtree et al, 2021; Ditchfield et al, 2021; Hale et al, 2021; Leach et al, 2021; McCarthy et al, 2021; McDonald et al, 2020; Wiseman et al, 2021, p. 154; Lebrec et al, 2022). Here, we explore the original claims.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

RETRACTED: Applying geoarchaeological principles to marine archaeology: A reappraisal of the “first marine” and “in situ” lithic scatters in the Dampier Archipelago, NW Australia

et al. 2022

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The absence of known prehistoric underwater cultural heritage (UCH) sites on the Australian inner shelf stands in stark contrast to the thousands of sites revealed elsewhere in the world. Two recent claims—Dortch et al. (D2019) and Benjamin et al. (B2020)—put forward the first in situ (i.e., primary context) UCH sites in the shallow waters of the Dampier Archipelago, North West Australia, each arguing that the stone artefact scatters are at least 7000 years old and are now submerged because of postglacial sea‐level rise. We present new hydrodynamic modelling and data on coastal erosion and bathymetry, and reassess each site's sedimentary setting and archaeological site‐formation history. D2019 and B2020 clearly present lithic cultural artefacts, but the arguments for their sites being of primary context and reflecting early Holocene land surfaces are mistaken. Rather, these sites occur in the intertidal zone, and many or all artefacts are likely to have been reworked. Sites of secondary context, if treated appropriately, can inform our understanding of site‐formation process and change, and may support more powerful contributions to submerged archaeology than attempts to seek the first or the oldest.

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Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

RETRACTED: Applying geoarchaeological principles to marine archaeology: A reappraisal of the “first marine” and “in situ” lithic scatters in the Dampier Archipelago, NW Australia

et al. 2022

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“…Sea level stabilization allowed estuaries, which are necessary habitat for many oyster species, to expand and set the stage for intensive oyster exploitation. However, site visibility, preservation, and discovery, and histories of human population growth, settlement patterns, and resource use were also important in structuring the archaeological record of oyster-bearing sites 28 – 30 . Although there is evidence of oyster and other estuarine shellfish harvest on California’s Northern Channel Islands ~11,500 years ago 31 , 32 , in our study regions the earliest known intensive oyster harvest occurs after sea level rise slowed during the Middle Holocene, with increasing numbers of oyster-bearing sites throughout the Late Holocene until the onset of colonialism or the displacement of Indigenous people (Fig.…”

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Indigenous oyster fisheries persisted for millennia and should inform future management

et al. 2022

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Historical ecology has revolutionized our understanding of fisheries and cultural landscapes, demonstrating the value of historical data for evaluating the past, present, and future of Earth’s ecosystems. Despite several important studies, Indigenous fisheries generally receive less attention from scholars and managers than the 17th–20th century capitalist commercial fisheries that decimated many keystone species, including oysters. We investigate Indigenous oyster harvest through time in North America and Australia, placing these data in the context of sea level histories and historical catch records. Indigenous oyster fisheries were pervasive across space and through time, persisting for 5000–10,000 years or more. Oysters were likely managed and sometimes “farmed,” and are woven into broader cultural, ritual, and social traditions. Effective stewardship of oyster reefs and other marine fisheries around the world must center Indigenous histories and include Indigenous community members to co-develop more inclusive, just, and successful strategies for restoration, harvest, and management.

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“…Studies that employ micromorphology as a tool for studying shell midden taphonomy frequently emphasize either the impacts of human activities, such as burning and trampling (Villagran et al, 2011a;Villagran, 2014), or shoreline processes, such as marine transgressions (Ward et al, 2019;Hale et al, 2021). Villagran and Poch (2014) documented the effects of the removal of the organic component of shell and freeze-thaw processes under cold, open-air conditions.…”

Section: Geoarchaeology Of Middensmentioning

confidence: 99%

U-Th dating, taphonomy, and taxonomy of shell middens at Klasies River main site indicate stable and systematic coastal exploitation by MIS 5c-d

2022

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The archaeological record, particularly of shellfish, from the Klasies River main site (KRM) is important in understanding the fluctuating nature of coastal occupational patterns and changing coastal ecologies. In this paper, we provide new uranium–thorium (U-Th) dates for one of the earlier phases of coastal exploitation at KRM, and the microstratigraphic analyses generate novel information about the taphonomy of shell-bearing deposits from the Later Stone Age (LSA) to the MSA I period that, in turn, provide a broader context for middening at the site. A wide range of syndepositional taphonomic processes related to human activities and post-depositional effects include burning, fragmentation and compaction, chemical alteration, and cementation. Despite such issues influencing recovery, shellfish data are informative and are presented from three layers of the Witness Baulk: Shell Midden One (SMONE), Black Occupational Soils (BOS), and Silty Black Soils (SBLS). These coarse shell midden deposits exhibit visible decalcification coupled with cementation with secondary carbonate formation in association with conditions of high moisture and soft sedimentation deformation of the underlying sediments of SBLS. This stratigraphy section is chronologically anchored for the first time using U-Th dating of speleothems associated with a hiatus after the deposition of BOS. The three ages, 110,060 ± 1,100, 109,800 ± 970, and 106,000 ± 2,100 years, place the BOS layer as the base of the SASL sub-member at over 110 ka, making the underlying middens from the LBS member even older. The zooarchaeological analyses of the three layers indicate coastal ecological changes from more sheltered conditions prior to the hiatus, with the exploitation of alikreukel and brown mussels predominating. Before 110 ka, in BOS and SBLS, more exposed coastal conditions occurred, and the diversity of exploited shellfish increased. SMONE and BOS are associated with MSA II/Mossel Bay lower lithic technology and SBLS with MSA I technology, indicating asynchronous coastal ecological and technological changes. The MIS 5c-d evidence for early coastal occupation at KRM provides details on the period during which coastal occupation became stable and systematic on the South African coast and puts the KRM amongst the handful of sites with shell-bearing deposits, occurring prior to 110 ka in South Africa.

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Submerged landscapes, marine transgression and underwater shell middens: Comparative analysis of site formation and taphonomy in Europe and North America

Cited by 23 publications

References 49 publications

RETRACTED: Applying geoarchaeological principles to marine archaeology: A reappraisal of the “first marine” and “in situ” lithic scatters in the Dampier Archipelago, NW Australia

RETRACTED: Applying geoarchaeological principles to marine archaeology: A reappraisal of the “first marine” and “in situ” lithic scatters in the Dampier Archipelago, NW Australia

Indigenous oyster fisheries persisted for millennia and should inform future management

U-Th dating, taphonomy, and taxonomy of shell middens at Klasies River main site indicate stable and systematic coastal exploitation by MIS 5c-d

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