Abstract
The south Florida Calusa are noted for their complex social organization coupled with their forager-fisher subsistence strategy. Social and political complexity have often been attributed to a reliable resource base, most frequently agricultural products such as maize ( Zea mays), and surplus stored foods. Recent reconsiderations of complexity for coastal populations, however, have questioned the stability of coastal resources citing ample evidence of periods of fluctuating instability. They have in turn emphasized the importance of other cultural mechanisms, such as resource exchange, in fulfilling subsistence needs during times of uncertainty.In this paper, we consider the complex food web of the central and south Florida Gulf Coast. We combine data on the zooarchaeological and archaeobotanical remains from the archaeological sites with those from stable carbon and nitrogen isotopic ratios of archaeological human bone, and modern and archaeological plants and animals. These multiple lines of evidence confirm that marine-based protein and terrestrial C3 plants provided a large and reliable portion of the diet in southwestern Florida as early as 4000years ago and up to European contact.
| Original language | English (US) |
|---|---|
| Pages (from-to) | 55-73 |
| Number of pages | 19 |
| Journal | Journal of Anthropological Archaeology |
| Volume | 41 |
| DOIs | |
| State | Published - Mar 1 2016 |
Fingerprint
All Science Journal Classification (ASJC) codes
- Human Factors and Ergonomics
- Archaeology
- History
- Archaeology
Cite this
}
The Calusa and prehistoric subsistence in central and south Gulf Coast Florida. / Hutchinson, Dale L.; Norr, Lynette; Schober, Theresa; Marquardt, William H.; Walker, Karen J.; Newsom, Lee A.; Scarry, C. Margaret.
In: Journal of Anthropological Archaeology, Vol. 41, 01.03.2016, p. 55-73.Research output: Contribution to journal › Article
TY - JOUR
T1 - The Calusa and prehistoric subsistence in central and south Gulf Coast Florida
AU - Hutchinson, Dale L.
AU - Norr, Lynette
AU - Schober, Theresa
AU - Marquardt, William H.
AU - Walker, Karen J.
AU - Newsom, Lee A.
AU - Scarry, C. Margaret
PY - 2016/3/1
Y1 - 2016/3/1
N2 - The south Florida Calusa are noted for their complex social organization coupled with their forager-fisher subsistence strategy. Social and political complexity have often been attributed to a reliable resource base, most frequently agricultural products such as maize ( Zea mays), and surplus stored foods. Recent reconsiderations of complexity for coastal populations, however, have questioned the stability of coastal resources citing ample evidence of periods of fluctuating instability. They have in turn emphasized the importance of other cultural mechanisms, such as resource exchange, in fulfilling subsistence needs during times of uncertainty.In this paper, we consider the complex food web of the central and south Florida Gulf Coast. We combine data on the zooarchaeological and archaeobotanical remains from the archaeological sites with those from stable carbon and nitrogen isotopic ratios of archaeological human bone, and modern and archaeological plants and animals. These multiple lines of evidence confirm that marine-based protein and terrestrial C3 plants provided a large and reliable portion of the diet in southwestern Florida as early as 4000years ago and up to European contact.
AB - The south Florida Calusa are noted for their complex social organization coupled with their forager-fisher subsistence strategy. Social and political complexity have often been attributed to a reliable resource base, most frequently agricultural products such as maize ( Zea mays), and surplus stored foods. Recent reconsiderations of complexity for coastal populations, however, have questioned the stability of coastal resources citing ample evidence of periods of fluctuating instability. They have in turn emphasized the importance of other cultural mechanisms, such as resource exchange, in fulfilling subsistence needs during times of uncertainty.In this paper, we consider the complex food web of the central and south Florida Gulf Coast. We combine data on the zooarchaeological and archaeobotanical remains from the archaeological sites with those from stable carbon and nitrogen isotopic ratios of archaeological human bone, and modern and archaeological plants and animals. These multiple lines of evidence confirm that marine-based protein and terrestrial C3 plants provided a large and reliable portion of the diet in southwestern Florida as early as 4000years ago and up to European contact.
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=84949845688&partnerID=8YFLogxK
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/citedby.url?scp=84949845688&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1016/j.jaa.2015.10.004
DO - 10.1016/j.jaa.2015.10.004
M3 - Article
AN - SCOPUS:84949845688
VL - 41
SP - 55
EP - 73
JO - Journal of Anthropological Archaeology
JF - Journal of Anthropological Archaeology
SN - 0278-4165
ER -