Stable Isotope Analysis and Chronology Building at the Hokfv-Mocvse Cultural Site, the Earliest Evidence for South Atlantic Shell-Ring Villages

• Published in: American antiquity 2024-08, p.1-20
• Main Authors: Garland, Carey J., Thompson, Victor D., Howland, Matthew D., Gragson, Ted L., Andrus, C. Fred T., Demyan, Marcie, Parbus, Brett
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• ISSN: 0002-7316; 2325-5064
• DOI: 10.1017/aaq.2024.36

Circular shell rings along the South Atlantic coast of the United States are vestiges of the earliest sedentary villages in North America, dating to 4500–3000 BP. However, little is known about when Indigenous communities began constructing these shell-ring villages. This article presents data from the Hokfv-Mocvse Shell Ring on Ossabaw Island, Georgia. Although shell rings are often associated with the earliest ceramics in North America, no ceramics were encountered in our excavations at Hokfv-Mocvse, and the only materials recovered were projectile points similar to points found over 300 km inland. Bayesian modeling of radiocarbon dates indicates that the ring was occupied between 5090 and 4735 cal BP (95% confidence), making it the earliest dated shell ring in the region. Additionally, shell geochemistry and oyster paleobiology data suggest that inhabitants were living at the ring year-round and had established institutions at that time to manage oyster fisheries sustainably. Hokfv-Mocvse therefore provides evidence for Indigenous people settling in year-round villages and adapting to coastal environments in the region centuries before the adoption of pottery. The establishment of villages marks a visible archaeological shift toward settling down and occupying island ecosystems on a more permanent basis and in larger numbers than ever before in the region. Los anillos de concha con forma circular o arqueada a lo largo de la costa del Atlántico Sur de los Estados Unidos son vestigios de las primeras aldeas sedentarias en América del Norte. La mayoría de los anillos datan entre 4500–3000 BP. Sin embargo, se sabe poco sobre cuándo las comunidades indígenas colonizaron por primera vez la zona costera o comenzaron a construir anillos de conchas como lugares de habitación. Presentamos datos del anillo de conchas Hokfv-Mocvse (en muskogeano, “nueva concha”) recientemente redescubierto en la isla Ossabaw, en Georgia. Si bien los anillos de concha a menudo se asocian con la cerámica más antigua de América del Norte, no se encontró ninguna cerámica en nuestras excavaciones y los únicos materiales recuperados fueron puntas de proyectil similares a las encontradas a más de 300 km al interior. Un modelo bayesiano de datación por radiocarbono del sitio indica que el anillo fue ocupado entre 5090–4735 cal. BP (95% de confianza), lo que indica que es el anillo de conchas más antiguo de los Estados Unidos datado con seguridad. Además, los datos paleobiológicos e isótopo