Search

In response to Joshua Piker's (this issue) comment on our article (Foster and Cohen 2007). we point out that our article was a description of a test of a hypothesis. Piker's (this issue) criticism of our paper is grounded in the differences between historians and anthropological archaeologists. The historic literature that Piker (this issue) cited does not inform about whether or not Creek Indians hunted where we performed the sediment cores. It merely points out that Creek hunters may have hunted with greater frequency elsewhere. But that is irrelevant to our study, which tested whether the eighteenth-century deerskin trade increased the frequency of forest fires in a particular region. Archaeologists will benefit from using historical documents but archaeologists still have to be clear about the potential biases of those interdisciplinary data sources. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper tests existing models of coastal subsistence strategies and settlement patterns of the late prehistoric inhabitants of the Southeastern U.S. Atlantic coastal plain. Excavations at Grove's Creek Site (09CH71), Skidaway Island, Georgia were conducted to determine the season of occupation of the site. Paleoethnobotanical and zooarchaeological data were used to determine the subsistence strategies of the inhabitants. Stable isotope analysis of oyster shells is combined with the faunal and botanical data to determine the seasons of occupation of the site. The most notable discovery was the diversity of agricultural plants. Paleoethnobotanical data indicate a spring through autumn occupation, and the stable isotope data indicate winter through summer Faunal data suggest occupation from spring through early winter. Therefore, the site was occupied year-round. This information, coupled with other data from the Southeastern U.S. Atlantic Coast, suggests a revision to existing subsistence and settlement pattern models. Coastal peoples lived in permanent villages and relied on a mix of agriculture, hunting, fishing, and gathering. Short trips were likely made to procure some resources, but there was not an extensive seasonal round. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]