The Compositional Analysis of Shell-Filled Pits Found at Silver Glen Springs Locus A (8LA1W)

Abstract

In this thesis, I hypothesize that the shell-filled pits of Silver Glen Springs Locus A(8LA1W), will have generalized characteristics that are shared over multiple cultural periods in the region. The pits are mechanisms for cultural perpetuation that modified the landscape through social practices. On a detailed level, the shell-fill material of the pits will differ between the pits due to changes over time in the environment and the methods used to harvest the Viviparus sp. snails. I argue that shell sites, particularly shell-filled pits, are multifaceted in function and integral to connecting a community to their environment and cultural past through place-making. To support this narrative, I analyzed material from shell-filled pits that span multiple cultural phases in early Middle Archaic (8990-8600 cal BP) to Episode II of the Mt. Taylor period (6350-5700 cal BP) and compared this information to other research that analyzed material from the early Middle Archaic (8900-7400 cal BP) and the later Orange period (4600- 3500 cal BP). More specifically, I examine the contents of excavated shell-filled pits from Locus A of Silver Glen Springs (8LA1W) in central Florida. I analyze and compare the composition of the features based on their material sizes, shell species composition, and measurements of the Viviparus sp. shells. These attributes were interpreted to understand pit function. The data collected from this research revealed patterns in the sizing of materials within the shell-filled pits of the features, as well as variations in the quantity of different mollusk species between features. Typologies were identified to explain the correlation between mollusk species and the cultural phases of the Mt. Taylor period. I conclude that the general material deposited into the pits of Silver Glen Springs remained consistent throughout its occupation from the early Middle Archaic (8990-8600 cal BP) to Episode II of the Mt. Taylor period (6350-5700 cal BP), indicating cultural continuity in pit use, resource utilization, and cultural practices.