Sapelo Island: ARCHAEOLOGICAL EXCAVATIONS ON PUMPKIN HAMMOCK (9MC350) MCINTOSH COUNTY, GEORGIA

The coastal zone of Georgia is comprised of barrier islands, back barriers (hammocks or marsh islands) portions of the mainland coast, salt marsh-lagoon systems, tidal creeks, brackish water marshes, river channels, and maritime forest communities (Elliott and Sassaman 1995:7) (Figure 1). Native Americans inhabited the Georgia coastal zone for over 4500 years and they experienced changes in sea level and their concomitant effect on resource distribution. For over a century (e.g., Moore 1897), archaeologists have conducted excavations and research in the coastal region in order to understand why, how, and when these peoples occupied the landscape. Much of the archaeological research along the coast has centered on the large barrier islands (e.g., Sapelo, St. Catherines, Skidaway, etc.) that abut the Atlantic Ocean (e.g., Crook 1984; Thompson 2006, 2007; Thompson et al. 2004; Thomas 2008; Jefferies and Moore 2008). Less well understood are the smaller marsh islands, also referred to as hammocks or back barriers that are located between the large barrier islands and the mainland. The purpose of this report is to document our current research along on these marsh islands in terms of past human settlement and use.

佐治亚州沿海地带由障壁岛（barrier islands）、后障壁（back barriers，即林丘或沼泽岛）、大陆海岸区段、盐沼-泻湖系统（salt marsh-lagoon systems）、潮汐水道（tidal creeks）、咸淡水沼泽（brackish water marshes）、河道（river channels）以及滨海森林群落（maritime forest communities）组成（Elliott与Sassaman，1995：7）（图1）。美洲原住民在此沿海地带定居已有逾4500年历史，期间经历了海平面变化及其对资源分布带来的伴随效应。一个多世纪以来（如Moore，1897），考古学家便在该区域开展考古发掘与相关研究，以期探明这些族群为何、如何以及何时占据这片土地。该沿海区域的多数考古研究均聚焦于毗邻大西洋的大型障壁岛（例如萨佩洛岛、圣凯瑟琳岛、斯基达韦岛等）（如Crook 1984；Thompson 2006、2007；Thompson等2004；Thomas 2008；Jefferies与Moore 2008）。而对于分布在大型障壁岛与大陆之间的小型沼泽岛（也被称为林丘或后障壁），学界的认知则相对匮乏。本报告旨在针对这些沼泽岛的过往人类定居与利用活动，系统呈现我们当前的研究成果。