Journal Articles & Book Chapters by Jessica Stone
International Journal of Paleopathology, 2020
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Journal of Archaeological Science, Nov 2013
Recent archaeological investigation at the Coconut Walk site on the Caribbean island of Nevis rev... more Recent archaeological investigation at the Coconut Walk site on the Caribbean island of Nevis revealed dense 40 cm deep midden deposits that accumulated between cal AD 890-1440. Analysis of invertebrate faunal remains reveals an assemblage dominated by nerite snails. We measured the length and width of more than 2700 tessellated nerite (Nerita tessellata) shells to investigate evidence for changing mean size that might be indicative of intensifying human predation pressure or other cultural and natural processes. Contrary to similar archaeomalacological studies in which size decline is detected, we observed a statistically significant size increase for N. tessellata over time. This size increase is coupled with increasing levels of tessellated nerite exploitation at the Coconut Walk site. Results suggest that tessellated nerite use was sustainable over several centuries of site occupation. Our findings have important implications for investigations of anthropogenic impacts on prehistoric mollusc populations. In addition, the findings reported here provide important insight into human subsistence patterns during the Late Ceramic Age in the Caribbean and a framework for comparison with observations from other Pre-Columbian sites in the Caribbean.
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In this study, we conducted one of the most detailed and comprehensive analyses to date of a pre-... more In this study, we conducted one of the most detailed and comprehensive analyses to date of a pre-Columbian mollusk assemblage in the Caribbean. The robust sample, from the island of Nevis in the northern Lesser Antilles, comprised more than 58,000 individuals recovered from a 25 m2 (40 cm deep) midden deposit at the Late Ceramic Age (ca. AD 890–1440) site of Coconut Walk. Using this sample, we examined mollusk exploitation over a ca. 600-year time period, which revealed heavy dependence on only a few species. Statistical analysis demonstrates that even though mollusk harvesting intensified through time, there was an increase of more than 10 % in the average individual weight of the three main species and a ten-fold increase in harvesting generally. These data, in conjunction with a previously observed size increase of one of the three taxa (Nerita tessellata)—which was increasingly preyed on through time—infer a level of sustainability contra to prey-choice models in which over-exploitation is an expected outcome. Overall, the foraging of mollusks at this site appears to have been sustainable for ~six centuries based on the absence of evidence for over-harvesting and increase in size during the time of occupation, regardless of its causation (anthropogenic, climatic, environmental, or otherwise).
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Archaeological and Anthropological Sciences, 2014
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Conference Presentations by Jessica Stone
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Remote Oceania was one of the last geographical areas to be colonized by humans. However, the tim... more Remote Oceania was one of the last geographical areas to be colonized by humans. However, the timing, direction, and origins of settlement are still unclear, particularly for Micronesia. Past research demonstrates that a transdisciplinary approach utilizing genetic, linguistic, and archaeological evidence can be successful in establishing a basic chronology for settlement of much of the region, but the general coarseness of the data, as well as a paucity of human skeletal remains in the region, have prevented researchers from identifying a point of origin for the earliest Micronesians1,2. The Chelechol ra Orrak site, one of two burial sites in the Pacific that extend back prior to ca. 2500 BP, and the earliest burial site in Micronesia, is allowing for direct study of early population dispersals into Remote Oceania via ancient DNA (aDNA) and isotopic analyses in an effort to better understand population dispersals and mobility of the earliest Palauans from a variety of geographical scales.
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The Chelechol ra Orrak site is one of the largest and oldest cemetery sites in the Pacific Island... more The Chelechol ra Orrak site is one of the largest and oldest cemetery sites in the Pacific Islands. Dating back to at least 2800 BP, the site contains the remains of descendant Palauan populations that may represent individuals who lived within 20-25 generations of the archipelago’s first colonists dating back to between ca. 3300-3000 BP. This paper builds on pilot work at Chelechol ra Orrak and explores facets of paleodiet through stable isotope analysis of carbon and nitrogen. To date, twenty individuals have been assayed, and nineteen provide data with good collagen yields. Bone collagen results for stable carbon isotope ratios average -15.9‰ and for stable nitrogen isotope ratios 11.0‰. Bone apatite results for stable carbon isotope ratios average -8.7‰ and apatite-collagen spacing averages 7.2‰. Overall the data are consistent with a marine-based diet supplemented by terrestrial foods, as evidenced by enriched carbon and nitrogen values. Enriched values for bone apatite suggest potential consumption of dietary carbohydrates that may include sugar cane and/or seaweed. When compared to other contemporary groups in the Pacific, the Chelechol ra Orrak samples are broadly similar to early colonizing Lapita populations in Vanuatu and Fiji, which also reflect a marine based supplemented by some terrestrial resources. This paper focuses on the newly expanded dataset and integrates life history data for this population towards a better understanding of the range of dietary diversity at the site.
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Papers by Jessica Stone
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Introduction The bioarchaeological record of the southern Caribbean reflects a diverse population... more Introduction The bioarchaeological record of the southern Caribbean reflects a diverse population history due to the eventual replacement of founding indigenous groups by European and African populations as a result of colonial incursion and the Transatlantic Slave Trade. This complex history can present problems for proper dispensation of human skeletal remains, particularly those recovered outside the strictures of controlled excavation. In this case study, we examined a collection of unprovenienced skeletal material comprising four individuals of unknown ancestry deriving from a private collection on the island of Mustique in the southern Grenadines supposedly originating from the nearby island of Petite Mustique. Ancestry has been estimated using a combination of craniometrics and dental morphology, using the FORDISC database and the Arizona State University Dental Anthropology System (ASUDAS), respectively. We find that these data do not support Amerindian ancestry for these in...
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The Archaeology of Island Colonization, 2021
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The Chelechol ra Orrak site is one of the largest and oldest cemetery sites in the Pacific Island... more The Chelechol ra Orrak site is one of the largest and oldest cemetery sites in the Pacific Islands. Dating back to at least 2800 BP, the site contains the remains of descendant Palauan populations that may represent individuals who lived within 20-25 generations of the archipelago’s first colonists dating back to between ca. 3300-3000 BP. This paper builds on pilot work at Chelechol ra Orrak and explores facets of paleodiet through stable isotope analysis of carbon and nitrogen. To date, twenty individuals have been assayed, and nineteen provide data with good collagen yields. Bone collagen results for stable carbon isotope ratios average -15.9‰ and for stable nitrogen isotope ratios 11.0‰. Bone apatite results for stable carbon isotope ratios average -8.7‰ and apatite-collagen spacing averages 7.2‰. Overall the data are consistent with a marine-based diet supplemented by terrestrial foods, as evidenced by enriched carbon and nitrogen values. Enriched values for bone apatite suggest potential consumption of dietary carbohydrates that may include sugar cane and/or seaweed. When compared to other contemporary groups in the Pacific, the Chelechol ra Orrak samples are broadly similar to early colonizing Lapita populations in Vanuatu and Fiji, which also reflect a marine based supplemented by some terrestrial resources. This paper focuses on the newly expanded dataset and integrates life history data for this population towards a better understanding of the range of dietary diversity at the site.
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Journal Articles & Book Chapters by Jessica Stone
Conference Presentations by Jessica Stone
Papers by Jessica Stone