EVALUATING MOBILITY, MONUMENTALITY, AND FEASTING AT THE SAPELO ISLAND SHELL RING COMPLEX

Two of the most salient anthropological questions regarding Southeastern shell ring sites are related
to the season(s) that they were occupied and whether or not the deposits represent monumental
constructions and/or feasting remains. This paper addresses these questions through the analysis
growth band of clams (Mercenaria spp.) and stable oxygen isotope ratios of clam and oyster shells
(Crassostrea virginica) at the Sapelo Island Shell Ring complex located on the Georgia coast, USA. The season of death of individual specimens and their position in the shell matrix at Sapelo provides
important information on the rate of shell deposition and the season(s) the site was occupied. These
data support the view that at least some portion of the population at Sapelo occupied the site yearround. Additionally, while it appears that two shell rings at the site formed through the gradual
deposition and accumulation of daily subsistence, other areas evidence feasting activities and may
lend credence to the view that at some point shell rings become monuments, commemorating rituals
and gatherings.