shell midden ([MC]) Quick reference
The Concise Oxford Dictionary of Archaeology (3 ed.)
... midden [MC] An extensive rubbish heap consisting largely of shells discarded after the removal of the soft edible body portion, the result of many years of exploitation of marine resources as a main or supplementary food source. Shell middens are found in many different parts of the world from many different...
The Shell Midden Sites of Senegambia Reference library
Alioune Dème and Moustapha Sall
The Oxford Encyclopedia of African Archaeology
...landscape, where the sea plays a major role in rituals and power relations. We will first define the geographical and cultural settings of the littoral where the shell midden sites are located. We will then move to the eustatic event that engendered the formation of natural shell middens: the Nouakchottien. We will focus next on the anthropogenic shell midden by describing the three broad shell midden archaeological areas. Finally, we will focus on Soukouta, where new data are shedding new light on Senegambian protohistory. The Senegambian Littoral Senegambia...
Shell Middens Reference library
Julie K. Stein and Amanda K. Taylor
The Oxford Companion To Archaeology (2 ed.)
... Middens Shell middens are archaeological middens containing shell. The word midden has its roots in the Scandinavian languages, meaning material that accumulates about a dwelling place. Most shell found in archaeological shell middens, however, did not accumulate about a dwelling per se, and therefore the term is inaccurate. People more frequently throw shells aside after extracting, for a variety of purposes, the organic shellfish once inhabiting the shell. The term shell-bearing site has been suggested as a more accurate description of sites...
Shell Middens and Coastal Prehistory Reference library
John Parkington and Ruan Brand
The Oxford Encyclopedia of African Archaeology
... Middens and Coastal Prehistory Introduction Coastal shell middens, that is, archaeological deposits that are visually and materially dominated by discarded marine shells (shell matrix deposits in another terminology; Hausmann et al. 2019 ; Villagran 2019 ), are valuable opportunities for reconstructing relationships between hunter-gatherers, landscapes, and resources ( Claassen 1998 ; Erlandson 2001 ; Parkington 2006 ; Shiner et al. 2013 ; Stein 1992 ; Waselkov 1987 ). Shellfish remains in these middens are easy to sample (there are lots of...
Côte d’Ivoire Shell Middens: Specificity and Evolution Reference library
N’doua Etienne Ettien
The Oxford Encyclopedia of African Archaeology
...on what was learned from the different studies of shell middens on the Ivorian coast, this article will examine the major characteristics of these shell middens and will raise the question of their future. This examination relies on an analysis of reports from research projects, scientific publications, dissertations, and data collected in the field in order to report on their general state of conservation. The following discussion is structured, first of all, around the spatial distribution of the shell middens, then their structure, and finally their current...
midden ([MC]) Quick reference
The Concise Oxford Dictionary of Archaeology (3 ed.)
... [MC] Any heap of rubbish or occupation debris adjacent to a dwelling or other site. See also shell midden...
Quynh‐van, Vietnam ([Si]) Quick reference
The Concise Oxford Dictionary of Archaeology (3 ed.)
...Vietnam [Si] A substantial early Neolithic shell midden on the coast of northern Vietnam south of the Red River delta near Vinh. The midden is over 5 m thick and dates to about 3000 bc , perhaps a late variant of the local Hoabinhian Culture. A flaked stone industry, cord‐impressed pottery, ceramic net weights, and grinding stones have been found in the midden, together with contracted burials. The faunal remains include wild deer, cattle, pig, dog, and elephant, all presumably hunted. Sum.: K. Taylor , 1983, The birth of Vietnam . Berkeley:...
Obanian Culture ([CP]) Quick reference
The Concise Oxford Dictionary of Archaeology (3 ed.)
...Culture [CP] Late Mesolithic communities living in the western isles of Scotland during the 4th millennium bc , named after a series of sites investigated around Oban, Argyll. Settlements include shell middens and rock‐shelters and suggest a marine‐based economy. Among artefacts are barbed spears and stone limpet...
Indian Knoll, Kentucky, USA ([Si]) Quick reference
The Concise Oxford Dictionary of Archaeology (3 ed.)
...Knoll, Kentucky, USA [Si] An extensive Archaic Stage shell midden, living floors, and cemetery dating to c .2500–2000 bc . As a whole the site covers about 1 ha with some of the shell middens over 1.5 m high. Excavations by William Webb during the Great Depression revealed a cemetery of over 1100 burials representing all age groups, from newborn infants to elderly adults. Grave goods associated with some internments suggest social ranking, perhaps through differentiated kinship groups. Grave goods associated with males included axes and groundhog...
Capsian Culture ([CP]) Quick reference
The Concise Oxford Dictionary of Archaeology (3 ed.)
...Culture [CP] Mesolithic communities occupying the Mediterranean coast of North Africa, named after the site of Gafsa, Tunisia. Capsian Culture replaced the Oranian in the region after about 8000 bc . Occupation sites are well represented as shell middens and ash heaps. The main tool types include blades, burins, scrapers, backed blades, microliths, and microburins. From around 5000 bc pottery and domesticated animals appear in Capsian contexts, sometimes referred to as the Capsian Neolithic . The culture lasted down to the 2nd millennium bc...
Natsushima, Japan ([Si]) Quick reference
The Concise Oxford Dictionary of Archaeology (3 ed.)
...Japan [Si] An initial Jomon Period shell midden near Tokyo, Japan. Dated to c .7500–7300 bc , the main occupation layer included deep conical bowls with cord‐mark decoration, the bones of domestic dogs, bone and stone arrowheads, grinding stones, partially ground pebble axes, bone fish‐hooks, and eyed needles. Rep.: S. Sugihara , 1957, Kanagawa‐ken Natsushima ni okeru Jomon bunka shoto no kaizuka . Tokyo: Meiji Daigaku Bungaku...
sambaqui ([MC]) Quick reference
The Concise Oxford Dictionary of Archaeology (3 ed.)
... [MC] Local name for Archaic Stage shell middens on the Brazilian coast of South America. Some examples date from about 4000 bc , although the floruit of the culture is the period 3500 bc down to 2000 bc . One especially distinctive element of material culture is the well‐finished polished stone effigies of birds and fish. Each effigy has a hollow on the back surface, and it has been suggested that they were used in the ritual taking of...
Ertebølle Culture ([CP]) Quick reference
The Concise Oxford Dictionary of Archaeology (3 ed.)
...Culture [CP] Late Mesolithic communities of the west Baltic coastal regions, named after a series of massive shell middens at Ertebølle, Jutland, Denmark, dated to c .3900–3250 bc . The later phases of the culture are marked by the appearance of pottery, especially large S‐shaped pointed‐base jars, and ground stone implements, both the result of contacts with farming communities to the...
Key Marco Reference library
The Grove Encyclopedia of American Art
...were made of conch and whelk shell and deep middens of shells were combined into mounds or house platforms and built into revetments for dikes, canals and boat slips along the coast. The good preservation conditions of the Key Marco middens and coastal mud has yielded large quantities of normally perishable wooden, fiber and bone artifacts (Philadelphia, PA, Acad. Nat. Sci.). Most are commonplace bowls, tools, nets, weapons, paddles or boat and house parts and furniture; but there are also hundreds of personal ornaments (shell and wooden beads, bracelets,...
Green River Culture ([CP]) Quick reference
The Concise Oxford Dictionary of Archaeology (3 ed.)
...River Culture [CP] Late Archaic Stage communities occupying the area around the confluence of the Green River and the Ohio River at Evansville, Indiana, in the period c .3000–2000 bc . Large stable communities flourished over long periods, building up huge shell middens as a result of exploiting freshwater molluscs. A rich range of vegetable foods were also utilized, especially hickory nuts and acorns which could be easily stored. Burials are known. Males were commonly interred with axes, woodworking tools, fish‐hooks, awls, and stoneworking punches....
Impressed Ware Culture ([CP]) Quick reference
The Concise Oxford Dictionary of Archaeology (3 ed.)
...Europe, named after the practice of ornamenting pottery with impressions of cardium shells and other items ( impressed ware ). Though there is evidence for the introduction of agriculture, hunting and fishing remained an important aspect of the culture, and its stone and flint industries retained some characteristic Mesolithic types. Generally dated to the period 5000–3500 bc . Early sites tend to be in caves and rock‐shelters or, on the coast, associated with shell middens. Sheep are the main domesticated animal species. In the later stages open settlements...
molluscan analysis ([Te]) Quick reference
The Concise Oxford Dictionary of Archaeology (3 ed.)
...analysis [Te] Shells from marine, estuarine, freshwater, and land molluscs are well preserved in calcareous archaeological deposits and naturally accumulating sediments. By sampling such deposits and sediments the shells can be recovered and identified to species to reveal a great deal of information about economy and environment. In the case of shell middens, the molluscs mainly accumulate as a result of human discard patterns and thus mainly relate to the economy and eating habits of the community responsible. Other situations, for example buried...
Shells Reference library
The Oxford Encyclopedia of Mesoamerican Cultures
...and frequently were deposited in high-status burials and used as votive offerings. In coastal Mesoamerica, one of the chief uses of shell-fish was as food. The harvesting of shellfish from bays, beaches, and rocky shores resulted in the formation of extensive shell middens (refuse heaps) on both shores of the Gulf of California. To a lesser degree, such middens accumulated in sheltered bays and lagoons of the Pacific coast and the Gulf coast of Mexico, particularly during the Archaic and Preclassic periods. Throughout pre-Hispanic times, freshwater...
periwinkle Reference library
The Oxford Companion to Food (3 ed.)
... Littorina littorea , an edible mollusc living in a small single shell (up to 2.5 cm/1"), widely distributed on both sides of the N. Atlantic. Periwinkles, or winkles as their vendors commonly call them, are now eaten much more in Europe than America, although the middens of American Indians testify to their use there in the past. Prehistoric mounds in Denmark, Scotland, and elsewhere show that they have been a popular European food for a very long time; and the diversity of vernacular names, such as kruuk’ls in Zeeland, points to continuing...
Clams Reference library
Joseph M. Carlin
The Oxford Encyclopedia of Food and Drink in America (2 ed.)
...), ocean quahog ( Arctica islandica ), hard-shell clam ( Mercenaria mercenaria ), soft-shell clam ( Mya arenaria ), and Manila clam ( Tapes philippinarum ). Before Europeans arrived in America, Native Americans harvested clams. Huge piles of clamshells or kitchen middens identify old Indian campsites. Native Americans used the hard-shell clam, also known as a quahog, as a source of food and medium of exchange and for sealing friendships. The purple part of the shell, along with the white part of periwinkle shells, were fashioned into beads, strung on sinew,...
