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Maize Pollen of 3500 B.P. from Southern Alabama

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  20 January 2017

Miriam L. Fearn  and
Kam-biu Liu
Miriam L. Fearn
Affiliation:
Department of Geology and Geography, University of South Alabama, Mobile, AL 36688
Kam-biu Liu
Affiliation:
Department of Geography and Anthropology, Louisiana State University, Baton Rouge, LA 70803
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Abstract

A large Gramineae pollen, positively identified as corn (Zea mays), from the sediments of Lake Shelby in coastal Alabama at a stratigraphic level securely dated to 3500 B.P. predates any other evidence for corn in eastern North America by at least 1,000 years. Currently, the most frequently cited and accepted date for corn in eastern North America is approximately 1800 B.P. from macrobotanical remains; however, several paleoecological studies have reported corn pollen in older contexts. The Lake Shelby pollen adds to a growing body of microfossil evidence supporting the presence of maize in eastern North America much earlier than the macrobotanical records indicate. Corn was probably present in eastern as well as western North America by 3000 B.P.

Resumen

Resumen

Un gran grano de polen de la familia Gramineae, positivamente identiftcado como maíz (Zea mays), fue obtenido de los sedimentos del Lago Shelby en la costa de Alabama en un nivel estratigráfico definitivamente datado en 3500 A.P. Este grano de polen predata cualquier otra evidencia para el maíz en el este de Norte America por lo menos en 1,000 años. En el momento, la más frecuente y aceptada fecha para el maíz en el este de Norte America es aproximadamente 1800 A.P. proveniente esta de restos macrobotánicos; sin embargo, varios estudios paleoecológicos han reportado polen de maíz en contextos más antiguos. El polen obtenido en el lago Shelby se suma a un cuerpo creciente de evidencia microfosil que soporta la presencia del maíz en el este norteamericano mucho más anterior de lo que indican los datos macrobotánicos. El maíz estuvo probablemente presente en el este asi como también en el oeste de Norte America para el 3000 A.P.

Type
Reports
Information
American Antiquity , Volume 60 , Issue 1 , January 1995 , pp. 109 - 117
Copyright
Copyright © The Society for American Archaeology 1995

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