Masters Theses

Date of Award

8-1992

Degree Type

Thesis

Degree Name

Master of Arts

Major

Anthropology

Major Professor

Walter E. Klippel

Committee Members

Paul Parmalee, Charles Faulkner

Abstract

This zooarchaeological study attempted to provide an holistic characterization of Native American subsistence adaptation in the southeastern Virginia Coastal Plain during the late Middle Woodland period. To accomplish this objective, a faunal assemblage recovered from the lower deposit of a stratified shell midden at Maycock's Point (44PG40), Prince George County, was analyzed. The archaeological context of the lower stratum and its association with Mockley Ware indicated that it probably reflected a single episode of warm-weather deposition dating approximately to A.D. 300 to A.D. 500. The analysis revealed the presence of 39 taxa of aquatic and terrestrial fauna. Quantification of the subsistence value of this assemblage demonstrated the importance of aquatic resources obtained from the James River estuary, particularly freshwater mussels, which contributed most of the dietary biomass, food energy, and protein for the inhabitants of Maycock's Point. Though terrestrial faunal resources constituted a significant part of the subsistence economy, particularly white-tailed deer, their cumulative contribution was found to be less than resources obtained from aquatic habitats. An estuarine-focused subsistence adaptation is further emphasized when the gathering of plants, particularly aquatic tubers, is considered in addition to the use of estuarine faunal resources.

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