The Archaeology of Human-Environmental Dynamics on the North American Atlantic Coast
The Archaeology of Human-Environmental Dynamics on the North American Atlantic Coast
Using archaeology as a tool for understanding long-term ecological and climatic change, this volume synthesizes current knowledge about the ways Native Americans interacted with their environments along the Atlantic Coast of North America over the past 10,000 years. Leading scholars discuss how the region’s indigenous peoples grappled with significant changes to shorelines and estuaries, from sea level rise to shifting plant and animal distributions to European settlement and urbanization. Together, they provide a valuable perspective spanning millennia on the diverse marine and nearshore ecosystems of the entire Eastern Seaboard—the icy waters of Newfoundland and the Gulf of Maine, the Middle Atlantic regions of the New York Bight and the Chesapeake Bay, and the warm shallows of the St. Johns River and the Florida Keys. This broad comparative outlook brings together populations and areas previously studied in isolation. Today, the Atlantic Coast is home to tens of millions of people who inhabit ecosystems that are in dramatic decline. The research in this volume not only illuminates the past, but also provides important tools for managing coastal environments into an uncertain future. A volume in the series Society and Ecology in Island and Coastal Archaeology, edited by Victor D. Thompson
This is an outstanding volume, an impressive integrated understanding of the human presence along the Eastern Seaboard of North America.’—P.J. Capelotti, author of Adventures in Archaeology: The Wreck of the Orca II and Other Explorations ‘From Canada to Florida, the Atlantic coast has long been known for its intriguing and varied maritime cultures. Now a new generation of scholars applies innovative techniques and interdisciplinary perspectives to this fascinating area, showcasing its variability but also telling histories of resilience that are relevant to today’s challenges.’—William H. Marquardt, coauthor of The Calusa and Their Legacy: South Florida People and Their Environments
Leslie Reeder-Myers is assistant professor of anthropology at Temple University. John A. Turck is an archaeologist for the National Park Service at Valley Forge National Historical Park. Torben C. Rick, curator of North American Archaeology at the Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History, is coeditor of Human Impacts on Ancient Marine Ecosystems: A Global Perspective.
Contents: List of Tables List of Figures Acknowledgements 1. Conceptualizing the Archaeology of North America’s Atlantic Seacoast and Estuaries Torben Rick, John A. Turck, and Leslie Reeder-Myers 2. Sea Ice, Seals, and Settlement: On Climate and Culture in Newfoundland and Labrador Christopher B. Wolff and Donald H. Holly, Jr. 3. Prehistoric Coastal Adaptations to the Northern Gulf of Maine and Southern Scotian Shelf Matthew W. Betts, David W. Black, Brian Robinson, and Arthur Spiess 4. Prehistoric Maritime Cultural Landscapes in the New York Bight Daria Merwin 5. Sea Level Rise and Sustainability in Chesapeake Bay Coastal Archaeology Leslie Reeder-Myers and Torben Rick 6. Coastal Adaptations in North and South Carolina, Carolyn D. Dillian 7. Human-Environmental Dynamics of the Georgia Coast John A. Turck and Victor D. Thompson 8. Gathering for Nine Millennia along the Atlantic Coast and St. Johns River of Northeast Florida Asa R. Randall 9. Island Chain Coastlines: A History of Human Adaptation in the Florida Keys Traci Ardren, Scott Fitzpatrick, and Victor D. Thompson 10. Making the Atlantic Coast a Smaller Place and a Stepping Stone to Larger Issues Thomas J. Pluckhahn List of Contributors
