Native American People and their Adaptation to Late Holocene Sea Level Rise
Presentation Type
Event
Full Name of Faculty Mentor
Carolyn Dillian
Other Mentors
Additional Mentor: Aneilya Barnes, History
Major
Anthropology and Geography
Minor
History
Presentation Abstract
Beginning 4,000 years ago, sea levels stabilized after years of rising due to melting ice and glacial forebulge subsidence from the Ice Age. The rising sea created new saltwater marshes that took many years for organisms such as shellfish and saltwater plants to colonize. The stabilization of these marshlands most likely increased the value of their resources to the Native Americans who lived around these areas. Shell middens and rings have been found along the southern east and gulf coast of the United States. However, the exact use and reason for the locations of these rings are still being theorized. Using shell midden sites at Hobcaw Barony, South Carolina as a case study, this project will examine how people adapted to the changing sea levels in the Late Holocene.
Course
HFA 310
Location
Brittain Hall, Room 112
Start Date
17-4-2019 1:50 PM
End Date
17-4-2019 2:10 PM
Disciplines
Anthropology
Recommended Citation
Rogers, Billie, "Native American People and their Adaptation to Late Holocene Sea Level Rise" (2019). Undergraduate Research Competition. 52.
https://digitalcommons.coastal.edu/ugrc/2019/oral/52
Native American People and their Adaptation to Late Holocene Sea Level Rise
Brittain Hall, Room 112
Beginning 4,000 years ago, sea levels stabilized after years of rising due to melting ice and glacial forebulge subsidence from the Ice Age. The rising sea created new saltwater marshes that took many years for organisms such as shellfish and saltwater plants to colonize. The stabilization of these marshlands most likely increased the value of their resources to the Native Americans who lived around these areas. Shell middens and rings have been found along the southern east and gulf coast of the United States. However, the exact use and reason for the locations of these rings are still being theorized. Using shell midden sites at Hobcaw Barony, South Carolina as a case study, this project will examine how people adapted to the changing sea levels in the Late Holocene.