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Kautantouwit's Legacy: Calibrated Dates on Prehistoric Maize in New England

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  20 January 2017

Elizabeth A. Little
Elizabeth A. Little*
Affiliation:
R. S. Peabody Museum of Archaeology, Andover, MA 01810; Nantucket Historical Association, POB 1016, Nantucket, MA 02554; Correspondence to: 37 Conant Road, Lincoln MA 01773-3912
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Abstract

This paper (1) presents four new AMS dates taken directly on prehistoric maize found in New England; (2) collects in one place and in a common format the 16 currently available dates directly on maize from the region; (3) shows, by comparing dates on charcoal or shell associated with 10 of these maize samples, that charcoal and shell are not reliable proxies for dating maize; and (4) draws several archaeological inferences from the dataset. First, a cluster of dates between about cal A.D. 1250 and 1450 that are temporally concentrated but spatially widespread suggests a relatively sudden increase in the archaeological visibility of maize in New England at this time. The increase in visibility roughly coincides with an increase in maize consumption in the midcontinent, although further studies are needed to clarify the timing of the latter. Second and even more striking is the simultaneous increase in the archaeological visibility of beans as well as maize in New England during the same period. Finally, preliminary evidence suggests that these increases may be related to the use of soils fertilized by alluvial limestone or old shell midden material.

Résumé

Résumé

Este artículo: (I) presenta cuatro nuevas fechas de EAM (espectrómetro acelerador de masa) tomadas directamente sobre maíz prehistórico encontratio en Nueva Inglaterra; (2) recopila en unformato común, las 16 fechas actualmente disponibles tomadas directamente del maíz de la región; (3) demuestra, comparando las fechas obtenidas en carbón o concha relacionadas con 10 de cstas muestras de maíz, que ni el carbón ni la concha son métodos fidedignos para fechar el maíz; y (4) delinea varias inferenclas arqueológicas del conjunto de los datos. Primero, un grupo de fechas sobre el maíz, de aproximadamente entre 1250 y 1450 cal d.C. período temporalmente concentrado pero geográficamente extenso, sugiere un aumento relativamente súbito de la presencia arqueológica de maíz en Nueva Inglaterra. El aumento en la presencia coincide aproximadamente con un aumento en el consumo de maíz en la zona central del continente, aunque se requieren más estudios para clarificar ese periodo. En segundo lugar, v aim mas destacado, es el aumento simultáneo en la presencia arqueológica defrijol y maíz en Nueva Inglaterra durante el mismo peróodo. Finalmente, las evidencias preliminares sugieren que estos aumentos pueden estar relacionadas al uso de tierras abonadas por caliza aluvial o par materiales de antiguos concheros.

Type
Reports
Information
American Antiquity , Volume 67 , Issue 1 , January 2002 , pp. 109 - 118
Copyright
Copyright © Society for American Archaeology 2002

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References

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