THE USE OF TAPHONOMIC AND STABLE ISOTOPIC ANALYSIS IN ARCHAEOLOGICAL SCALLOP DEPOSITS AS A KEY TO HOW NATIVE COASTAL COMMUNITIES’ HARVESTING PRACTICES WERE AFFECTED BY CLIMATIC CHANGE (A.D. ~850 – 1500), GULF COAST OF FLORIDA

The Calusa and Tocobaga were groups native to the Gulf Coast of Florida, who lived primarily on a marine diet and deposited the remains in extensive midden-mounds along the coast. The purpose of my study is to understand their harvesting methods and season of collection through taphonomic and stable isotopic analysis in the context of environmental change. Archaeological assemblages of Bay Scallop shells (Argopecten irradians) deposited between A.D. 850 – 1500 were analyzed, which spans the transition from the Medieval Warm Period (MWP) through the start of the Little Ice Age (LIA). My results indicate that there was environmental variation between the MWP and the LIA, likely inducing a shift in harvesting methods from bulk collection to individual collection. However, the season of collection remained consistent as it was likely influenced by the Bay Scallop’s ecological response to seasonal change.