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Molluscan assemblages from archaeological deposits
Author(s) -
Ford Pamela J.
Publication year - 1989
Publication title -
geoarchaeology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.696
H-Index - 44
eISSN - 1520-6548
pISSN - 0883-6353
DOI - 10.1002/gea.3340040205
Subject(s) - midden , archaeology , prehistory , subsistence agriculture , national park , sedimentary depositional environment , geography , population , deposition (geology) , taphonomy , geology , ecology , paleontology , sediment , biology , demography , sociology , agriculture , structural basin
Research about the impact of prehistoric human subsistence strategies upon prey populations of shellfish is based on the assumption that trends in shell size are directly related to collection strategies. A shell midden on San Juan Island, Washington, where archaeological research is sponsored by the University of Washington and hosted by the National Park Service, provides large samples of shells from separate archaeological deposits. the shells from each deposit produce size‐frequency distributions that vary in shape (modality). Because several factors (the original prey population, the method of collection and transport, the environment of deposition, and post‐depositional processes) affect the size‐frequency distribution differentially, the shell measurements do not provide the direct archaeological information expected.