EXAMINING ICHTHYOFAUNAL REMAINS FOR EVIDENCE OF FISHING TECHNOLOGIES EMPLOYED IN GEORGIA ESTUARIES DURING THE LATE ARCHAIC PERIOD

Abstract

Previous analyses of vertebrate collections from Late Archaic (ca. 4500–3000 B.P.) shell rings on numerous Georgia sea islands indicate that fishes comprise the majority of individuals. Material culture associated with fishing is not recovered from these sites, however. Two methods are used to determine how people captured fishes using ichthyofaunal remains from five shell rings. Fish taxa are characterized according to schooling or nonschooling behaviors. Archaeological specimens representing the minimum number of individuals from the three most abundant fish families also are measured, and standard lengths of fish individuals are estimated using allometric formulae. The distribution of standard lengths are compared to expected size distributions of populations captured with specific fishing technologies, such as weirs, traps, nets, hooks, and spears. Results suggest that Late Archaic people of the Georgia coast fished estuaries using mass-capture technologies, such as weir, trap, and net fishing.