Christopher S. Jazwa

Development and Disintegration of Maya Political Systems in Response to Climate Change

Maya and Climate Climate has affected the vitality of many different societies in the past, as shown by numerous records across the globe and throughout human history. One of the most obvious and spectacular examples of this is from the Classic Maya civilization, whose advanced culture left highly detailed records of all aspects of their existence between 300 and 1000 C.E. Kennett et al. (p. 788; see the cover) present a detailed climate record derived from a stalagmite collected from a cave in Belize, in the midst of the Classic Maya settlement. The fine resolution and precise dating of the record allows changes in precipitation to be related to the politics, war, and population fluctuations of the Mayans. A record of rainfall from a stalagmite in southern Belize provides a context for better understanding Maya civilization. The role of climate change in the development and demise of Classic Maya civilization (300 to 1000 C.E.) remains controversial because of the absence of well-dated climate and archaeological sequences. We present a precisely dated subannual climate record for the past 2000 years from Yok Balum Cave, Belize. From comparison of this record with historical events compiled from well-dated stone monuments, we propose that anomalously high rainfall favored unprecedented population expansion and the proliferation of political centers between 440 and 660 C.E. This was followed by a drying trend between 660 and 1000 C.E. that triggered the balkanization of polities, increased warfare, and the asynchronous disintegration of polities, followed by population collapse in the context of an extended drought between 1020 and 1100 C.E.

Late Holocene Subsistence Change and Marine Productivity on Western Santa Rosa Island, Alta California

Abstract Institutionalized differences in social status developed on Californias northern Channel Islands from the Late Middle (A.D. 650-1150) to Late (A.D. 1300-1782) periods. This is associated with the proliferation of sedentary communities along the coasts of these islands and a number of important socioeconomic changes, including a greater emphasis on fishing and the production of non-food craft items. These changes were particularly rapid during the Middle to Late Period Transition (MLT; A.D. 1150-1300) and partly attributed to significant environmental change during this interval. Population-resource imbalances caused by decreased marine productivity, drought, or some combination of the two have been suggested as possible environmental triggers for the sociopolitical changes evident in the archaeological record at this time. Shell midden deposits at CA-SRI-15 provide a unique opportunity to test whether elevated sea surface temperature (SST) reduced marine productivity during the MLT and contributed to these population resource imbalances. This is because the site was occupied relatively continuously from the Late Middle Period through the Late Period. Faunal records and associated oxygen isotopic data from the site do not support the hypothesis that increased SST reduced marine productivity during the MLT.

SPATIAL AND TEMPORAL VARIABILITY IN CHERT EXPLOITATION ON SANTA CRUZ ISLAND, CALIFORNIA

Chert outcrops on eastern Santa Cruz Island were of vital importance to the inhabitants of the Santa Barbara Channel region because of their comparatively limited availablity elsewhere on the California Channel Islands. Temporally diagnostic artifacts and radiocarbon dates from associated shell middens suggest that chert quarries were exploited throughout the Holocene. The importance of these quarries has been well documented in regard to microlith production as part of the shell bead industry during the late Holocene. However, relatively little is known about local chert tool manufacture and exchange in earlier times. Systematic documentation of 26 known chert quarries, and sampling at associated shell middens on eastern Santa Cruz Island has resulted in the identification of significant spatial variability in chert exploitation through time. Whereas chert quarrying during the middle Holocene appears to have been opportunistic and dispersed throughout the landscape, comparable activities during the late Holocene became increasingly circumscribed as microlith production was intensified. These trends in chert procurement are interpreted in the context of temporal changes in subsistence, tool manufacture, and residential mobility on the northern Channel Islands, and have broad implications for spatial and temporal patterning in prehistoric lithic exploitation.

Archaeological Site or Natural Marine Community? Excavation of a Submerged Shell Mound in Ninigret Pond, Rhode Island

ABSTRACT Submerged shell midden sites and natural shell deposits can have similar characteristics and can be difficult to distinguish archaeologically. We excavated two test units from a large (at least 35 m×70 m) submerged shell mound in Fort Neck Cove in southern Rhode Island to assess whether it was natural or cultural in origin. This mound had been recognized as a potential archaeological feature as early as the 1970s. Excavation, radiocarbon dating, and subsequent laboratory analysis of excavated materials suggest that the mound was a natural oyster reef rather than a submerged archaeological site. No artifacts were found; there was no clear evidence for human modification of any shells; small species that would not have been targeted as food were present; and δ13C values of oyster shells from the mound were consistent with freshwater input into their growth environment, suggesting that they grew in an estuarine environment that did not exist prior to the inundation of the ponds. The stratigraphically oldest radiocarbon date we could obtain (430–190 cal BP, 2σ range), from 70 cm below the pond floor, placed deposition of shells at least 3,000 years after the inundation of the pond. The excavation methods that we used and the process of testing, irrespective of whether the feature is cultural, are valuable contributions to the methodological literature on submerged site archaeology and help provide insight for other researchers working to discern natural from cultural shell midden sites.

Coastal Erosion and Archaeological Site Formation Processes on Santa Rosa Island, California

On California’s northern Channel Islands, marine erosion is actively destroying many archaeological sites, including large coastal villages and other permanent settlements. This permanently limits potential archaeological interpretations of the prehistoric maritime archaeological landscape. This chapter assesses the effects of two winters (rainy seasons) on 11 sites from four different locations on Santa Rosa Island, including the windward and leeward sides of the mountainous landform. This is done using GIS, site photography, and field measurements of specific points during the summers of 2013, 2014, and 2015. The erosion of sea cliffs from marine transgression occurs across the island, with midden deposits visibly eroding out of these coastal locations. Fluvial and eolian erosion are primarily related to site location, with those sites along the north and northwest coasts of the island eroding more extensively than those along the south and west coasts. Both of these factors are exacerbated by modern ranching that left the landscape denuded and unstable. Interpretations about differential site preservation and post-depositional processes provide important information that could influence the management and preservation of cultural resources in coastal locations.

Low-Density Lithic Scatter Sites and the Distribution of Toolstone on Santa Rosa Island, Alta California

Abstract Recent surveys on California’s northern Channel Islands have highlighted the ubiquity of small, low-density lithic scatters across coastal terraces and interior ridgelines. These sites typically lack organic materials or diagnostic artifacts and are therefore rarely the subject of archaeological investigation. Here we quantify raw material and flake type for nine representative sites from three distinct parts of Santa Rosa Island. The three regions are located on the western, eastern, and northern portions of the island, where Dry Canyon chalcedony, metavolcanics, and a mix of metavolcanics and Wima chert are most common, respectively. Assemblages from these sites reflect a consistent pattern in which inhabitants opportunistically used locally available, low-quality toolstone for expedient tools rather than trading for high-quality exotic materials. An investigation of two permanent settlement sites on the north coast, CA-SRI-19 and -821, show that the pattern of using local materials was consistent for at least the last 7,500 years. Investigating sparse lithic scatters with limited data in aggregate provides a useful approach to more fully understand patterns of mobility and resource acquisition and use.