Midden analysis

Extensive shovel probing and high resolution block excavations based on the quantified results of the probes have revealed a midden with a possibly contiguous seasonal village or hamlet of probable Woodland ascription. The site labeled Sexton (8IR01822) is situated on a slightly elevated limestone hammock in Indian River County, Florida, and was episodically occupied/visited into the Historic period. The results of the field work are summarized and compared to other previously studied localities in central Florida.

This report presents the results of Phase III excavation and data recovery at 8LA243, also known as the Montverde site, located in the town of Montverde in Lake County, Florida.  The site was a relatively permanent habitation site that occupied primarily during the Terminal Late Archaic and Early St. Johns I periods, or
between about 3650 to 2320 calibrated years B.P. (cal 1700-370 B.C.).  In addition, one radiocarbon date from soot on a St. Johns Check Stamped pottery sherd returned a calibrated age of 760-660 B.P., or A.D. 1180-1290. This suggests that the site was reoccupied during the late St. Johns II period. Since St. Johns Check Stamped, the primary marker for St. Johns II, is not well represented at Montverde, it appears that this late occupation was not extensive.  The faunal remains are dominated by freshwater aquatic species, specifically a variety of turtles and fish as well as alligator.  Freshwater mussels are present but were apparently a minor contributor to the diet. Deer was the primary mammal that was hunted and consumed. Other animals that contributed to the diet  are rabbit, raccoon, opossum, turkey, salamander, snake, and gopher tortoise. Botanical remains include nutshells of oak and hickory and seeds of the bottle gourd, saw palmetto,
wild grape, wax myrtle, bedstraw, and wild grasses (Poaceae family). The presence of bottle gourd suggests the possibility of limited horticulture. Fire woods included pine, live oak, red oak, hickory, and walnut.  Based on the seasonal availability of the various nuts and seeds recovered from the features, it appears that the site was occupied during the late summer through winter months.

Although bioturbation and other site disturbances made the separation of the site’s various temporal components impossible,  pit features, postholes, and postmolds in submidden contexts did enable some reconstruction of settlement structure for the site’s earliest intensive occupation. At least one fairly large structure, and possibly two others, was identified. Settlement layout appears to have been relatively informal with structures probably aligned along the top of the ridge overlooking Lake Apopka.

n support of the Installation Restoration Program (IRP) at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station (CCAFS) the 45th Space Wing Cultural Resources Manager (45 SW CRM) systematically conducted a cultural resource survey and soil clean up monitoring of the area encompassing the Cape Canaveral Lighthouse (8BR212) and New Lighthouse Site (8BR1660). The soils were identified as being contaminated and posed a human health and safety risk as well as impacting the environment. From May to September 2010 a Phase I survey and soil clean up monitoring were conducted within the project area.

The data from recent excavations in the Oman peninsula, especially in the Ja’alan and the Jebel Qara (Sultanate of
Oman) enable us better to refine certain cultural entities and to define new ones, to help determine the chronology of a part of the late prehistory of south-eastern Arabia. To begin with, the “empty quarter of the early Holocene” is half
full: “Fasad facies” characterizes one of the earliest Holocene hunter-gatherers occupation in Oman (8000–7500 BC).
Today we possess data from several stratified sites, enabling definition of two quite distinct Neolithic techno-facies,
which appear in succession: the trihedral points facies between 6500 and 4500 BC, and the facies of  the points with diamond-shaped section between 4500 and about 3800–3700 BC.

During the 80’s and 90’s a number of discoveries highlighted the occurrence of a number of large midden sites in and around the Vale of Pewsey consistently dated to the Late Bronze Age / Earliest Iron Age transition. Consisting of 1-2m deep dark humic deposits, rich in animal bone and ceramics, the dramatic nature of the midden sites is highlighted by the huge numbers of animals slaughtered on an annual basis and its implication on the population that such sites could support. Initial explanations for these sites have focused on the manipulation of social relations through cycles of competitive feasting (McOmish 1996).
This paper reviews recent work by the University of Sheffield on the faunal data from the middens at All Cannings Cross and Stanton St. Bernard. Whilst these sites were the scene of large seasonal congregations that augmented a full time population during the year, it argues against feasting as the primary driver of midden creation. It suggests that changes to the landscape on the downs during the Late Bronze Age represent a rise in transhumance and dispersal of communal elements. Evidence suggests that the midden sites were located at pivotal points in the landscape where large groups of people would be drawn together at certain times during the agricultural calendar. As such, in contrast to the socially divisive results of competitive feasting, it suggests the sites were integral to a process reincorporating community ethos for disparate groups and may over time have become symbolically associated with what it meant to belong to a community.

espanolLa costa suratlantica de la Peninsula Iberica posee un importante legado romano que incluye numerosos talleres halieuticos, con una actividad que se desarrollo durante casi un milenio (siglo I a.C.-siglo VII d.C.). Sin embargo, se precisan nuevas investigaciones que determinen el contexto geologico en el que se desarrollaron, su evolucion paleoambiental, sus principales objetivos economicos y los subproductos derivados de sus actividades. Este trabajo se centra en la geologia, datacion y registro arqueologico de La Cascajera, un nuevo yacimiento localizado en el estuario de los rios Tinto y Odiel (S.O. de Espana). Esta nueva cetaria ocupaba el extremo noroccidental de la cresta de La Cascajera (Isla de Saltes), constituida por depositos bioclasticos arenosos de abanicos de derrame previos (siglos I-II d.C.). Durante su principal periodo de actividad (mitad del siglo IV d.C.-siglo V d.C.), la existencia de una cierta tipologia de anforas asi como la existencia de un conchero f...

The site of Engaruka in northern Tanzania has been the focus of decades of archaeological research regarding the development of terraced field systems in East Africa. Engaruka is a vast agricultural landscape, occupied from the 14th century and abandoned in 18th century. The abandonment of such a large and intensively cultivated area has been interpreted by some policy makers as a response to a failure of the agronomy, as has been argued elsewhere. This PhD research represents the archaeobotanical component of the AAREA (Archaeology of Agricultural Resilience in East Africa) Project, which was focused on establishing the efficacy of applying archaeological results that are in a dynamic state of development to policy decisions regarding agricultural resilience and sustainability. This study focuses on the identification of crops in cultivation at Engaruka during its occupation based on the analysis of archaeobotanical residues (e.g. charred plant remains), as well as historic and ethnographic observations of cultivation throughout the region. The results confirm the presence of sorghum and other millets as well as several pulses, disproving the argument that ancient Engarukans were practicing sorghum monoculture. These data have been queried to address questions about the presence and preservation of millets and pulses and non-crop taxa in both expected and unlikely contexts, providing information on a range of issues including cultivation strategy and practice, specifically relating to harvesting techniques, the role of wild and weedy taxa, and differential use of space. Discussion is based upon detailed investigations of plant cultivation, collection/harvest, and exploitation through quantification of charred plant macrofossils, gathered weeds/wild taxa, and interview data relating to farming practices, thus highlighting the strengths of a multidisciplinary approach for understanding resilience, sustainability, and, more generally, what it means to subsist in a challenging and dynamic agricultural landscape.

A number of large midden sites, dating from the Late Bronze to Early Iron Age transition, have been discovered in the Vale of Pewsey, Wiltshire, over the last 30 years. These middens are characterised by deep deposits (up to 2m thick) of dark humic material, rich in animal bone and ceramics. This paper outlines some of the early findings from a recent programme of research undertaken by the University of Sheffield at All Cannings Cross and Stanton St. Bernard. The two sites appear to have several similarities such as midden structure, but also distinct differences in terms of the artefacts and the taphonomic processes at work. This paper theorises how the construction of the linear earthwork systems on the downs during the Late Bronze Age facilitated an increase in mobility and allowed a burgeoning in the size of the local communities. Whilst this made possible the management of large herds, it meant that larger proportions of the community were dispersed during the agricultural year. Evidence suggests that the sites were involved within a sheep dairying regime and were located at pivotal points in the landscape where large groups of people would be drawn together at certain times during the agricultural calendar. As such the sites were integral to a process reincorporating community ethos for the dsiparate groups and may over time have become symbolically associated with what it meant to belong to a community.

Sampling is a practice that affects all stages of archeological research, and is a method frequently employed to manage the potentially vast quantities of material recovered from excavations. Current sampling methods used in the analyses of shell middens are largely based on those developed by the California School, and can be characterized by the implementation of small sample sizes during the excavation and analysis of shell deposits. The wider archeological sampling literature, however, has repeatedly demonstrated that the use of small sample sizes has the potential to result in the loss of substantial quantities of material, often grossly underestimating an assemblage's richness, and skewing abundance distributions. There is therefore a need to re-evaluate the current sampling methods used in the analysis of shell deposits. We use five ecological diversity indices to examine and quantify the effects of sampling on the recovery and interpretation of molluscan remains, using material from the Peel Island Lazaret Midden, southeast Queensland, as a case study. This research demonstrates that the use of small sample sizes does indeed affect measures of richness and evenness for molluscan populations, with marked differences being recorded for the two sample sizes used in this study. Results show that while subsamples are able to detect some trends in taxonomic richness and evenness, the degree of difference present between the results from the two sample size indicates that subsamples reduce interpretive accuracy. We conclude that, in addition to determining the appropriate sampling strategy during excavation or recovery of midden deposits as highlighted by previous research, there is also a need for researchers to assess sampling practices during the analyses of molluscan assemblages. The methods employed in this study can be easily applied and offer a robust means of determining the effects and adequacy of sampling.

This paper examines the age, place of manufacture and cultural significance of clay tobacco pipes found on two Aboriginal shell middens at Corroboree Beach, Fraser Island, south-east Queensland (Fig. 1). Although clay pipes are often found in European archaeological sites in Australia, surpris- ingly few detailed analyses of these items have been published. As such, the methodological approach taken in this paper will be of interest to those analysing clay pipes in other archaeological contexts. Furthermore, the study represents the first detailed analysis of this class of European material culture from Aboriginal 'contact' sites in Queensland, and indeed one of very few for other parts of Australia (see Coutts et al. 1977:195). Following recent interest in the archaeology of nineteenth century Aboriginal-European interaction in Australia (e.g. Rhodes 1990, 1995; Birmingham 1992; Layton 1992:89-1 13), our paper reveals the potential of clay tobacco pipes to shed light on some of the economic and social dimensions of Aboriginal life on the colonial frontier.

"During the 2007 field excavation two dump of pottery, metal objects, animal bones and plant remains, were found in the Late-Roman/Early Medieval site of Faragola (S-E Italy).
Very common in archaeological sites, this kind of formation is mostly made by charred plant remains that can provide information on food habits, domestic activities, natural exploitation and economic strategies if only analysed with sufficient attention.
A combined approach, based on stratigraphical excavation, radiocarbon dating and archaeobotanical analyses, was adopt to define the time and the manner of use the Faragola midden and shed light on the disposal behaviour of the past communities.
"

ABSTRACT We tested whether micro CT scanning could be used to study phytoliths and bone fragments on samples from a Middle Neolithic midden deposit from Swifterbant (The Netherlands). We scanned an untreated block sample, and an impregnated sample that was used to make a thin section of. Ample small bones or bone fragments could be discerned and identified - most of them from fish - although sieving showed that many went undetected. It was possible, however, to identify several deposition events within a few cm of stratigraphy, and distinguish deposits with cleaning refuse from bones that were discarded during or after meals. Bone fragments embedded in coprolitic material represented the ingested and excreted bone fragments. Moreover, it proved to be possible to identify articulated bones or bone fragments that would become separated and unidentifiable during sieving and to recognize specific decay patterns. Silica phytoliths could be discerned, but the resolution was not enough to use it for species identification. Overall, the greatest advantage of microCT scanning of undisturbed samples form archaeological sites seem to lie in non-destructively providing context and taphonomical information on which further sample treatment and analyses - including microsampling and micromorphology - can be based.

A prehistoric shell midden dating to c. 9 ka bp (uncalibrated) was discovered at Grotta di Pozzo, in the central Apennines of Abruzzo. It includes large amounts of well-preserved shells of the endemic land snail Helix delpretiana. A project of experimental archaeology was set up, in order to better understand how the collected snails were eventually cooked. Four open fires were started, and flint, snails, vegetables, were exposed to burning flames or to heath produced by dying fire, following different procedures. The fireplaces were left protected, and excavated two years later. Only fireplace 4 produced intact shells, closely comparable to those found at Grotta di Pozzo. The procedure followed had been to put fresh leaves on embers, add the snails and cover them with more fresh leaves, with cooking happening within minutes. Local informants were asked how snails were traditionally collected and cooked in Abruzzo. Complex ways of cleaning and cooking them at home were described, but also a much more expedient one, when hunting: snails were just collected, put next to the fire, and then quickly eaten. The archaeological evidence, with unburnt intact shells, points to a similar procedure at Grotta di Pozzo, possibly making use of embers covered with fresh leaves, as in experimental fireplace 4.

"Local reservoir ages are often estimated from the difference between the radiocarbon ages of aquatic material and associated terrestrial samples for which no reservoir effect is expected. Frequently, the selected aquatic material consists of bivalve shells that are typically well preserved in the archaeological record. For instance, large shell middens attest to the
importance of mussel consumption at both coastal and inland sites. However, different physiological mechanisms associated with tissue and shell growth may result in differences in reservoir effects between the surviving component (shell) and the component relevant to dietary reservoir effects in consumers (tissue). The current study examines bivalve tissue-shell age differences both from freshwater and marine contexts close to archaeological sites where human consumption of mollusks has been attested. Results exhibited significant 14C age differences between bivalve tissue and shell in a freshwater context. In a marine context, no significant bivalve tissue-shell age differences were observed. The results also showed that riverine and lacustrine shells show large and variable freshwater reservoir effects. The results have important implications for establishing local reservoir effects especially in a freshwater environment. For good a priori knowledge of expected 14C differences in organic and inorganic water, carbon is thus necessary. Furthermore, the high variability in freshwater shell 14C ages implies the need for representative sampling from the archaeological record."

Anthropogenic shell accumulations (shell middens), often of great size, occur in their tens of thousands around the world's coastlines. They mostly date from the Mid-Holocene onwards and are frequently taken as symptomatic of a Postglacial 'revolution' involving worldwide population growth and inten-sification in exploitation of marine resources. However, the comparative rarity of earlier deposits may have as much to do with Postglacial sea-level rise and the loss of evidence from earlier palaeoshorelines as with genuine socioeconomic trends. Here we investigate the underwater Mesolithic (Ertebølle) shell midden of Hjarnø Vesterhoved in Denmark, one of the first underwater shell middens to be systematically verified as an anthropogenic shell deposit in a region world-famous for its many hundreds of Ertebølle shell mounds on the present shoreline. We show how a combination of geophysical survey, coring, excavation, stratigraphic interpretation and macroscopic analysis of ...

Page 1. Kris Courtney1 and Ian J. McNiven2 ... However, the bowl and stem are both abraded by weathering, possibly sandblasting, so it is most likely that all traces of any such marks, if present and only lightly impressed, have been eroded off. ...

Anthropogenic midden deposits are remarkably well preserved at the Neolithic settlement of Catalhöyuk and provide significant archaeological information on the types and nature of activities occurring at the site. To decipher their complex stratigraphy and to investigate formation processes, a combination of geoarchaeological techniques was used. Deposits were investigated from the early ceramic to late Neolithic levels, targeting continuous sequences to examine high resolution and broader scale changes in deposition. Thin- ...

Anthropogenic midden deposits are remarkably well preserved at the Neolithic settlement of Çatalhöyük and provide significant archaeological information on the types and nature of activities occurring at the site. To decipher their complex stratigraphy and to investigate formation processes, a combination of geoarchaeological techniques was used. Deposits were investigated from the early ceramic to late Neolithic levels, targeting continuous sequences to examine high resolution and broader scale changes in deposition. Thin-section micromorphology combined with targeted phytolith and geochemical analyses indicates they are composed of a diverse range of ashes and other charred and siliceous plant materials, with inputs of decayed plants and organic matter, fecal waste, and sedimentary aggregates, each with diverse depositional pathways. Activities identified include in situ burning, with a range of different fuel types that may be associated with different activities. The complexity ...

During the twenty years of excavations carried out at the one of the most important settlements in Cuntisuyu, related to the cult of the Coropuna volcano, an impressive amount of two hundred thousand pieces of ceramics was found. Most of these fragments have been discovered in the middens located exactly in the lower part of the Ushnu next to Platform I. Despite the evident ceremonial context, the majority of ceramics is represented by undecorated pieces. A similar situation can be observed in other contexts at this site. The aim of the paper is linking the studied ceramics from various contexts (tombs, mausoleum, middens) with ceremonies and showing its diversity.

ABSTRACT An early-to mid-Holocene humid phase has been identified in various Arabian geo-archives, although significant regional heterogeneity has been reported in the onset, duration and stability of this period. A multi-proxy lake and dune record from Wahalah in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) documents significant variations in hydrology, biological productivity and landscape stability during the first half of the Holocene. These data reveal that post-Last Glacial Maximum dune emplacement continued into the earliest part of the Holocene, with the onset of permanent lacustrine sedimentation at the site commencing ~8.5 ka cal. BP. A long-term shift towards more arid conditions is inferred between ~7.8 and 5.9 ka cal. BP, with intermittent flooding of the basin and distinct phases of instability throughout the catchment area. This transition is linked to the southwards migration of the Intertropical Convergence Zone (ITCZ) and associated weakening of monsoon rains. A peak in landscape instability is recorded between ~5.9 and 5.3 ka cal. BP and is marked by a pronounced increase in regional dune emplacement. These variations are considered alongside the record of human settlement raising important questions about the interactions between population demographics, climate and environment in southeast Arabia during the Neolithic.

Archaeological otoliths of mulloway (Argyrosomus japonicas) (n=73) from an estuarine mound site near Barker Inlet, Adelaide were analysed to investigate age of fish and season of capture, size of fish when captured and fish growth rates. Otoliths were excavated from Greenfields estuarine mound site in 1992. The otoliths have been radiocarbon dated to between 835+/-35 years and 1990 +/-40 years BP (ANSTO codes OZO781 and OZO782).