Date Awarded
2022
Document Type
Thesis
Degree Name
Master of Arts (M.A.)
Department
Anthropology
Advisor
Martin D Gallivan
Committee Member
Jessi A Jenkins
Committee Member
Shannon H White
Committee Member
Mara Dicenta
Abstract
Throughout history, coastlines have commonly drawn human settlements. However, modern environmental processes (i.e., shoreline erosion, sea-level rise, land subsistence, inundation) threaten to destroy much of our remaining global coastal heritage. To prevent the further loss of archaeological contexts, this study seeks to develop a coastal vulnerability index through geospatial analysis to assess the vulnerability of 35 precontact shell midden sites along the Nansemond River in Suffolk, Virginia. The Nansemond middens offer a long-term history of how coastal inhabitants interacted with their surrounding landscape, with occupation of the area ranging from the Early Archaic period through Contact. This research considers various environmental and cultural variables used to determine which archaeological sites are most threatened by environmental changes and offer the most significant addition to our understanding of the past.
DOI
https://dx.doi.org/10.21220/s2-xphz-y846
Rights
© The Author
Recommended Citation
Young, Mary Lawrence, "Sustaining The Shell Middens: A Coastal Vulnerability Assessment Of Shell Midden Sites Within The Nansemond River Tributary" (2022). Dissertations, Theses, and Masters Projects. William & Mary. Paper 1673281501.
https://dx.doi.org/10.21220/s2-xphz-y846
