Shenks Ferry subsistence and settlement: The archaeobotanical recor

Archaeobotanical remains from three Late Woodland, Shenks Ferry (an archaeological manifestation of the lower Susquehanna River Valley dated from A.D. 1250 to A.D. 1550) habitation sites were examined in order to ascertain the prehistoric subsistence and settlement pattern of the population and to test previously proposed interpretations of subsistence and settlement. Two additional contemporaneous Late Woodland occupations were examined for comparative purposes. The Shenks Ferry sites studied include the Shenks Ferry Site (36La2), The Funk Site (36La9) and the Kauffman II Site (36Ch438). Contemporary sites examined included; Foley Farm (36Gr52), a Monongahela settlement, and the Fort Loudoun Prehistoric Site (36Fr31), a Late Woodland habitation. In addition to the examination of the archaeobotanical record, chemical analyses were conducted on osteological remains from each site. Analyses measured the relative 13C/12C content of bone collagen, relative 15N/14N content of bone collagen and trace element content of bone mineral.;The archaeobotanical analysis indicated that corn (Zea mays) was cultivated by Shenks Ferry Populations; however, the extent of corn use was moderate, when compared to other Late Woodland subsistence regimes. Chemical analyses supported the interpretation of an omnivorous diet among Shenks Ferry individuals. A varied diet that included both plant and animal resources was maintained even though domesticated plant resources comprised 56% to 65% of the total dietary intake.;Shenks Ferry populations were existing well below the estimated carrying capacity of the region and there is no evidence of agricultural intensification throughout the Shenks Ferry occupation. Small independent, autonomous, villages were maintained because corn cultivation was hindered by environmental constraints resulting from the "Little Ice Age." Large grain surpluses could not be produced to support a dense agrarian population. The absence of a stratified social order and the maintenance of an egalitarian level of organization may have also served to temper production levels.;Data suggest that the disappearance of Shenks Ferry settlements in the archaeological record is the result of social conflict and disruption caused by the migration of Susquehannock populations into the Shenks Ferry area. This migration appears to have been initiated, by the Susquehannocks, to take advantage of developing trade networks with European colonists. The Shenks Ferry populations could have easily disbanded into independent foraging groups and become "invisible" to the archaeological record.