Insights into changing coastlines, environments and marine hunter-gatherer lifestyles on the Pacific coast of South America from the La Yerba II shell midden, Río Ica estuary, Peru

David G. Beresford-Jones; David E. Friesem; Fraser Sturt; Alexander Pullen; George Chauca; Justin Moat; Manuel Gorriti; Patricia K. Maita; Delphine Joly; Oliver Huaman; Kevin J. Lane; Charles French

doi:10.1016/j.quascirev.2022.107509

Insights into changing coastlines, environments and marine hunter-gatherer lifestyles on the Pacific coast of South America from the La Yerba II shell midden, Río Ica estuary, Peru

David G. Beresford-Jones, David E. Friesem, Fraser Sturt, Alexander Pullen, George Chauca, Justin Moat, Manuel Gorriti, Patricia K. Maita, Delphine Joly, Oliver Huaman, Kevin J. Lane, Charles French

Department of Maritime Civilizations

Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review

Abstract

Shell middens are conspicuous manifestations of the exploitation of rich, sustainable, easily seen and harvested marine resources that, worldwide, enabled hunter-gatherers to reduce mobility and increase population and social complexity. Globally, known sites tend to cluster chronologically around 6 k BP, after slowing eustatic sea-level rise, although the Pacific coast of South America offers some rare earlier exceptions. We report investigations of La Yerba II, a Middle Preceramic shell matrix site on the Río Ica estuary, south coast Peru. These show how, beginning around 7000 Cal BP, over 4.5 m of stratigraphy accumulated in less than 500 years. Consisting of prepared surfaces, indurated floors and the ashy interiors of wind shelters and their associated midden deposits, alternating with phases of abandonment, this was the outcome of an intense rhythm of repeated occupations by logistically mobile marine hunter-gatherers. Final phases, dominated by Mesodesma surf clams, mark change towards more task-specific activities. La Yerba II's topographic position and well-preserved cultural and environmental markers provide insight into the local history of relative sea level change and changing marine hunter-gatherer lifestyles during a period critical to the transition to sedentism and the formation of new estuarine and beach habitats following the stabilisation of eustatic sea-levels.

Original language	English
Article number	107509
Journal	Quaternary Science Reviews
Volume	285
DOIs	https://doi.org/10.1016/j.quascirev.2022.107509
State	Published - 1 Jun 2022

Bibliographical note

Funding Information:
We thank Daniel Sandweiss and two anonymous reviewers for their many useful suggestions on this paper; all the members of Cambridge University's One River Project; the Ministerio de Cultura del Per? for granting permission for archaeological fieldwork (under Resolucion Directoral No. 933-2012-DGPC-VMPCIC/MC, 19 December 2012) and the export of samples for dating; the director of the Museo Regional de Ica Susana Arce; Alberto Benavides G. and the people of Samaca; the Leverhulme Trust (grant number RPG-117); the late Don Alberto Benavides de la Quintana (grant number RG69428); and the NERC Radiocarbon facility (grant number NF/2013/2/2) for funding. We also thank Dr Tonko Rajkova?a of the McBurney Laboratory for making thin sections; and the ALS Chemex Laboratory, Seville, Spain, for multi-element results.

Funding Information:
We thank Daniel Sandweiss and two anonymous reviewers for their many useful suggestions on this paper; all the members of Cambridge University's One River Project; the Ministerio de Cultura del Perú for granting permission for archaeological fieldwork (under Resolucion Directoral No. 933-2012-DGPC-VMPCIC/MC, 19 December 2012) and the export of samples for dating; the director of the Museo Regional de Ica Susana Arce; Alberto Benavides G. and the people of Samaca; the Leverhulme Trust (grant number RPG-117 ); the late Don Alberto Benavides de la Quintana (grant number RG69428); and the NERC Radiocarbon facility (grant number NF/2013/2/2 ) for funding. We also thank Dr Tonko Rajkovača of the McBurney Laboratory for making thin sections; and the ALS Chemex Laboratory, Seville, Spain, for multi-element results.

Publisher Copyright:
© 2022 The Authors

Keywords

Floor surfaces
Geoarchaeology
Holocene
Marine hunter-gatherers
Middle Preceramic
Pacific coast South America
Relative sea level
Shell midden archaeology

ASJC Scopus subject areas

Global and Planetary Change
Ecology, Evolution, Behavior and Systematics
Archaeology
Archaeology
Geology

UN SDGs

This output contributes to the following UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)

Access to Document

10.1016/j.quascirev.2022.107509

Cite this

Beresford-Jones, D. G., Friesem, D. E., Sturt, F., Pullen, A., Chauca, G., Moat, J., Gorriti, M., Maita, P. K., Joly, D., Huaman, O., Lane, K. J., & French, C. (2022). Insights into changing coastlines, environments and marine hunter-gatherer lifestyles on the Pacific coast of South America from the La Yerba II shell midden, Río Ica estuary, Peru. Quaternary Science Reviews, 285, Article 107509. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.quascirev.2022.107509

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title = "Insights into changing coastlines, environments and marine hunter-gatherer lifestyles on the Pacific coast of South America from the La Yerba II shell midden, R{\'i}o Ica estuary, Peru",

abstract = "Shell middens are conspicuous manifestations of the exploitation of rich, sustainable, easily seen and harvested marine resources that, worldwide, enabled hunter-gatherers to reduce mobility and increase population and social complexity. Globally, known sites tend to cluster chronologically around 6 k BP, after slowing eustatic sea-level rise, although the Pacific coast of South America offers some rare earlier exceptions. We report investigations of La Yerba II, a Middle Preceramic shell matrix site on the R{\'i}o Ica estuary, south coast Peru. These show how, beginning around 7000 Cal BP, over 4.5 m of stratigraphy accumulated in less than 500 years. Consisting of prepared surfaces, indurated floors and the ashy interiors of wind shelters and their associated midden deposits, alternating with phases of abandonment, this was the outcome of an intense rhythm of repeated occupations by logistically mobile marine hunter-gatherers. Final phases, dominated by Mesodesma surf clams, mark change towards more task-specific activities. La Yerba II's topographic position and well-preserved cultural and environmental markers provide insight into the local history of relative sea level change and changing marine hunter-gatherer lifestyles during a period critical to the transition to sedentism and the formation of new estuarine and beach habitats following the stabilisation of eustatic sea-levels.",

keywords = "Floor surfaces, Geoarchaeology, Holocene, Marine hunter-gatherers, Middle Preceramic, Pacific coast South America, Relative sea level, Shell midden archaeology",

author = "Beresford-Jones, {David G.} and Friesem, {David E.} and Fraser Sturt and Alexander Pullen and George Chauca and Justin Moat and Manuel Gorriti and Maita, {Patricia K.} and Delphine Joly and Oliver Huaman and Lane, {Kevin J.} and Charles French",

note = "Funding Information: We thank Daniel Sandweiss and two anonymous reviewers for their many useful suggestions on this paper; all the members of Cambridge University's One River Project; the Ministerio de Cultura del Per? for granting permission for archaeological fieldwork (under Resolucion Directoral No. 933-2012-DGPC-VMPCIC/MC, 19 December 2012) and the export of samples for dating; the director of the Museo Regional de Ica Susana Arce; Alberto Benavides G. and the people of Samaca; the Leverhulme Trust (grant number RPG-117); the late Don Alberto Benavides de la Quintana (grant number RG69428); and the NERC Radiocarbon facility (grant number NF/2013/2/2) for funding. We also thank Dr Tonko Rajkova?a of the McBurney Laboratory for making thin sections; and the ALS Chemex Laboratory, Seville, Spain, for multi-element results. Funding Information: We thank Daniel Sandweiss and two anonymous reviewers for their many useful suggestions on this paper; all the members of Cambridge University's One River Project; the Ministerio de Cultura del Per{\'u} for granting permission for archaeological fieldwork (under Resolucion Directoral No. 933-2012-DGPC-VMPCIC/MC, 19 December 2012) and the export of samples for dating; the director of the Museo Regional de Ica Susana Arce; Alberto Benavides G. and the people of Samaca; the Leverhulme Trust (grant number RPG-117 ); the late Don Alberto Benavides de la Quintana (grant number RG69428); and the NERC Radiocarbon facility (grant number NF/2013/2/2 ) for funding. We also thank Dr Tonko Rajkova{\v c}a of the McBurney Laboratory for making thin sections; and the ALS Chemex Laboratory, Seville, Spain, for multi-element results. Publisher Copyright: {\textcopyright} 2022 The Authors",

year = "2022",

month = jun,

day = "1",

doi = "10.1016/j.quascirev.2022.107509",

language = "English",

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Beresford-Jones, DG, Friesem, DE, Sturt, F, Pullen, A, Chauca, G, Moat, J, Gorriti, M, Maita, PK, Joly, D, Huaman, O, Lane, KJ & French, C 2022, 'Insights into changing coastlines, environments and marine hunter-gatherer lifestyles on the Pacific coast of South America from the La Yerba II shell midden, Río Ica estuary, Peru', Quaternary Science Reviews, vol. 285, 107509. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.quascirev.2022.107509

Insights into changing coastlines, environments and marine hunter-gatherer lifestyles on the Pacific coast of South America from the La Yerba II shell midden, Río Ica estuary, Peru. / Beresford-Jones, David G.; Friesem, David E.; Sturt, Fraser et al.
In: Quaternary Science Reviews, Vol. 285, 107509, 01.06.2022.

Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review

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T1 - Insights into changing coastlines, environments and marine hunter-gatherer lifestyles on the Pacific coast of South America from the La Yerba II shell midden, Río Ica estuary, Peru

AU - Beresford-Jones, David G.

AU - Friesem, David E.

AU - Sturt, Fraser

AU - Pullen, Alexander

AU - Chauca, George

AU - Moat, Justin

AU - Gorriti, Manuel

AU - Maita, Patricia K.

AU - Joly, Delphine

AU - Huaman, Oliver

AU - Lane, Kevin J.

AU - French, Charles

N1 - Funding Information: We thank Daniel Sandweiss and two anonymous reviewers for their many useful suggestions on this paper; all the members of Cambridge University's One River Project; the Ministerio de Cultura del Per? for granting permission for archaeological fieldwork (under Resolucion Directoral No. 933-2012-DGPC-VMPCIC/MC, 19 December 2012) and the export of samples for dating; the director of the Museo Regional de Ica Susana Arce; Alberto Benavides G. and the people of Samaca; the Leverhulme Trust (grant number RPG-117); the late Don Alberto Benavides de la Quintana (grant number RG69428); and the NERC Radiocarbon facility (grant number NF/2013/2/2) for funding. We also thank Dr Tonko Rajkova?a of the McBurney Laboratory for making thin sections; and the ALS Chemex Laboratory, Seville, Spain, for multi-element results. Funding Information: We thank Daniel Sandweiss and two anonymous reviewers for their many useful suggestions on this paper; all the members of Cambridge University's One River Project; the Ministerio de Cultura del Perú for granting permission for archaeological fieldwork (under Resolucion Directoral No. 933-2012-DGPC-VMPCIC/MC, 19 December 2012) and the export of samples for dating; the director of the Museo Regional de Ica Susana Arce; Alberto Benavides G. and the people of Samaca; the Leverhulme Trust (grant number RPG-117 ); the late Don Alberto Benavides de la Quintana (grant number RG69428); and the NERC Radiocarbon facility (grant number NF/2013/2/2 ) for funding. We also thank Dr Tonko Rajkovača of the McBurney Laboratory for making thin sections; and the ALS Chemex Laboratory, Seville, Spain, for multi-element results. Publisher Copyright: © 2022 The Authors

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Y1 - 2022/6/1

N2 - Shell middens are conspicuous manifestations of the exploitation of rich, sustainable, easily seen and harvested marine resources that, worldwide, enabled hunter-gatherers to reduce mobility and increase population and social complexity. Globally, known sites tend to cluster chronologically around 6 k BP, after slowing eustatic sea-level rise, although the Pacific coast of South America offers some rare earlier exceptions. We report investigations of La Yerba II, a Middle Preceramic shell matrix site on the Río Ica estuary, south coast Peru. These show how, beginning around 7000 Cal BP, over 4.5 m of stratigraphy accumulated in less than 500 years. Consisting of prepared surfaces, indurated floors and the ashy interiors of wind shelters and their associated midden deposits, alternating with phases of abandonment, this was the outcome of an intense rhythm of repeated occupations by logistically mobile marine hunter-gatherers. Final phases, dominated by Mesodesma surf clams, mark change towards more task-specific activities. La Yerba II's topographic position and well-preserved cultural and environmental markers provide insight into the local history of relative sea level change and changing marine hunter-gatherer lifestyles during a period critical to the transition to sedentism and the formation of new estuarine and beach habitats following the stabilisation of eustatic sea-levels.

AB - Shell middens are conspicuous manifestations of the exploitation of rich, sustainable, easily seen and harvested marine resources that, worldwide, enabled hunter-gatherers to reduce mobility and increase population and social complexity. Globally, known sites tend to cluster chronologically around 6 k BP, after slowing eustatic sea-level rise, although the Pacific coast of South America offers some rare earlier exceptions. We report investigations of La Yerba II, a Middle Preceramic shell matrix site on the Río Ica estuary, south coast Peru. These show how, beginning around 7000 Cal BP, over 4.5 m of stratigraphy accumulated in less than 500 years. Consisting of prepared surfaces, indurated floors and the ashy interiors of wind shelters and their associated midden deposits, alternating with phases of abandonment, this was the outcome of an intense rhythm of repeated occupations by logistically mobile marine hunter-gatherers. Final phases, dominated by Mesodesma surf clams, mark change towards more task-specific activities. La Yerba II's topographic position and well-preserved cultural and environmental markers provide insight into the local history of relative sea level change and changing marine hunter-gatherer lifestyles during a period critical to the transition to sedentism and the formation of new estuarine and beach habitats following the stabilisation of eustatic sea-levels.

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KW - Geoarchaeology

KW - Holocene

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KW - Middle Preceramic

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KW - Relative sea level

KW - Shell midden archaeology

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VL - 285

JO - Quaternary Science Reviews

JF - Quaternary Science Reviews

M1 - 107509

ER -

Insights into changing coastlines, environments and marine hunter-gatherer lifestyles on the Pacific coast of South America from the La Yerba II shell midden, Río Ica estuary, Peru

Abstract

Bibliographical note

Keywords

ASJC Scopus subject areas

UN SDGs

Access to Document

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