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Cultural interaction and exchange across the Bering Strait of northern Alaska played a central role in the emergence of Arctic maritime adaptations. Yet poor chronological control limits our ability to explore processes of cultural change over the last 5000 years. We address this problem by synthesizing the available radiocarbon record for the region, carrying out Bayesian analysis of a regional radiocarbon database, and analyzing the BAR-1 (Birnirk) site using new dates published in this paper. Our synthesis and our illustrative analysis of the BAR-1 site highlights several intriguing temporal and spatial trends with implications for interaction between cultural groups. Our analysis also underscores the uncertainty associated with dating cultural phases and identifies specific areas where additional research is needed to further our understanding of cultural interaction in this complex region. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We explore marine reservoir effects (MREs) in seal bones from the northern Bering and Chukchi Seas regions. Ringed and bearded seals have served as dietary staples in human populations along the coasts of Arctic northeast Asia and North America for several millennia. Radiocarbon (14C) dates on seal bones and terrestrial materials (caribou, plants seeds, wood, and wood charcoal) were compared from archaeological sites in the Bering Strait region of northwestern Alaska to assess MREs in these sea mammals over time. We also compared these results to 14C dates on modern seal specimens collected in AD 1932 and 1946 from the Bering Sea region. Our paired archaeological samples were recovered from late Holocene archaeological features, including floors from dwellings and cache pits, that date between 1600 and 130 cal BP. 14C dates on seal bones from the northern Bering and Chukchi Seas show differences [R(t)] of 800 ± 140 years from to their terrestrial counterparts, and deviations of 404 ± 112 years (ΔR) from the marine calibration curve. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Changing Arctic settlement patterns are associated with shifts in socioeconomic organization and interaction at both the inter- and intraregional levels; analysis of Arctic settlement patterns can inform research on the emergence and spread of Arctic maritime adaptations. Changes in late precontact settlement patterns in Northwest Alaska suggest significant shifts in subsistence and/or social organization, but the patterns themselves are not well understood. Prior research around Kotzebue Sound suggests three possible scenarios: (1) population decrease and dispersion from settlement centers after 550 cal bp, (2) population stability and dispersion after 550 cal bp, and (3) different settlement patterns in the northern and southern areas of Kotzebue Sound. We analyze site distribution and radiocarbon data from new research on the northern Seward Peninsula coast to address questions about local late precontact settlement patterns. Our results point to denser late precontact occupation of this region than previously understood, suggesting either population stability and dispersion after 550 cal bp or the development of differential settlement patterns around the Kotzebue Sound region. This research provides new information about late precontact settlement patterns in Northwest Alaska and contributes to the broader debate about the changing nature of Arctic maritime adaptations during the dynamic late Holocene period. Results also indicate that people in this region were well integrated into both Kotzebue Sound and more distant socioeconomic systems despite potential reduction or change in interaction spheres during the late precontact period. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]