Walter E. Klippel

FRESHWATER MUSSELS AS A PREHISTORIC FOOD RESOURCE

of food resources at the interspecies level. Data pertinent to the calculation of both quantitative and qualitative food potential of many of the vertebrate animals represented in archaeological contexts are extant. These data are lacking for freshwater mussels, frequently found in archaeological sites in eastern North America. Information relevant to determining the food energy provided by freshwater mussels common to much of the Mississippi River drainage is presented. Results are applicable to more credible interpretations of prehistoric subsistence as related to animal food resources.

Post-glacial environmental change and hunting-gathering societies of the southern prairie peninsula

Abstract Evidence from several disciplines supports the proposition that following the Wisconsinan and an initial but brief moist phase of the Holocene, there was a gradual drying trend in the mid-continent Prairie Peninsula that peaked about 7000 years ago, a pattern that was not reversed until about 4000 years ago. Except for minor perturbations, conditions during the past four millennia have essentially been similar to those of the present. Studies in palynology and geomorphology have shown that the climatic regimes of the early/mid Post-glacial had a marked influence on both the biota and landscape erosional patterns, especially along the margins of the Prairie Peninsula. Measurable changes in the landscape and attendant biota show a time-transgressive pattern of drought related phenomena recorded palaeo-ecologically from west to east. Few studies of archaeological sites in the Prairie Peninsula have examined the evidence in and around the sites themselves for data reflecting local environmental dynamics. In fact, earlier models proposed for explaining the evolution of food-procuring systems in eastern North America virtually ignored potential changes in the natural environment. This paper examines data from two archaeological sites along the prairie-forest border in Missouri that contain long cultural sequences. Evidence is presented that pronounced changes in the natural environment occurred and that these biophysical variables are indeed critical for understanding the evolution of food-procuring societies in the American Midwest.

Pollen Preservation and Archaeology in Eastern North America

The recovery of pollen from archaeological sites in Eastern North America has not been as successful as it has been in the western part of the continent. The depositional environment of eastern archaeological sites is generally unfavorable for pollen preservation and archaeologists have failed to search out special situations in which pollen may be preserved. At the Rhoads site, a Proto-Historic Indian village in central Illinois, abundant pollen has been found associated with copper artifacts and deeply buried tree bark. Pollen was preserved around copper, apparently due to dissolved copper salts which act as a fungicide. Tree bark, an excellent collection surface for air-borne pollen, can yield abundant pollen when preserved. When the factors involved in pollen deposition and preservation are considered, the prospects for archaeological palynology in eastern North A merica should be greatly enhanced.

Cranial Morphology and Systematics of an Extraordinary Sample of the Late Neogene Dwarf Tapir, Tapirus polkensis (Olsen)

Abstract The previously poorly known “Tapiravus” polkensis Olsen, 1960 (Mammalia, Perissodactyla, Tapiridae) is now known from abundant, well preserved specimens from both the type area in central Florida and from the Gray Fossil Site (GFS) in eastern Tennessee. The latter has produced over 75 individuals, the greatest number of tapirids from a single fossil site, including many articulated skeletons. Almost all linear measurements taken on skulls, mandibles, and cheek teeth from GFS have coefficients of variation less than 10 (most between 3 and 7), indicating the presence of a single species. However, the sample reveals considerable intraspecific variation for a few key morphologic features, including development of the sagittal crest, outline shape of the nasals, and number and relative strength of lingual cusps on the P1. The Florida sample of T. polkensis is more limited, but has the same state as the GFS sample for all preserved characters of systematic significance, and while the Florida teeth are on average smaller (especially narrower lower cheek teeth), they fall either within or just below the observed range of the Gray Fossil Site population. The new material supports a reassignment of “Tapiravus” polkensis to the genus Tapirus, and demonstrates that the geologic age of the species is significantly younger than previously thought, Hemphillian rather than Barstovian. Tapirus polkensis is the smallest known North American Tapirus, and smaller than any of the extant species in the genus, with an estimated average mass of 125 kg.

Diachronic variation in insectivores from Cheek Bend Cave and environmental change in the Midsouth

Diachronic variation in insectivore remains from a deeply stratified cave deposit in south- eastern North America is described. The paleobotanical record for the region is congruent with variation in the soricid (shrew) and talpid (mole) faunal assemblages. Both faunal and floral records reflect con- siderable climatic change since the full Wisconsinan in this unglaciated portion of eastern North America. Variations in the insectivore assemblages indicate the presence of a more equable climate during the late Pleistocene. Continental climates ushered in at the end of the Pleistocene resulted in a marked decrease in insectivore diversity. Relative frequency changes in taxa throughout the Holocene reflect the mid- Holocene Climatic Optimum.

Contextual and Nutritional Analysis of Freshwater Gastropods from Middle Archaic Deposits at the Hayes Site, Middle Tennessee

The role of shellfish in the diet of hunter-gatherers in North America is poorly understood. Specifically, the interpretation offreshwater gastropodsfrom archaeological sites asfood remains has been a subject ofprofessional debate. Data from the Hayes site (40ML139), a stratifiedArchaic midden on the Duck River in Tennessee, suggest that freshwater gastropods were procured in considerable quantities and utilized as a food resource. Evidence supporting this interpretation includes (1) quantities of gastropods in the midden, (2) stratigraphic relationship between shell-bearing strata and shell-free strata, and (3) pH analysis of associated sediments. Although gastropods provide relatively little meat and are a poor source offood energy compared to other animal species such as deer, they contain relatively high concentrations of several important vitamins and minerals. Thus, their primary value may have been nutrient content rather than food energy. This consideration, coupled with seasonal variation in their availability, suggests summer and/or fall as most likely periods of gastropod procurement.

North Atlantic Fishes in Inland Context: Pickled Mackerel (Scomber scombrus) in the Historic Period

Several North Atlantic fish species were salted, pickled, or smoked and widely transported throughout inland North America during the 19th century. Atlantic mackerel (Scomber scombrus) and Atlantic cod (Gadus morhua) are among the most frequently referenced in historic accounts. These two are the fishes whose remains are reported most often from 19th-century archaeological contexts. Because mackerel were graded and priced primarily by fork length, they potentially offer a useful means of assessing socioeconomic status. A method for estimating mackerel fork length from remains recovered from archaeological contexts is provided for 10 bones of the mackerel skeleton. Bulk fine-screening of at least some deposits containing human food refuse is recommended to guard against recovery bias of remains from higher priced, larger mackerel.