EARLY-MIDDLE ARCHAIC SUBSISTENCE STRATEGIES: CHANGES IN FAUNAL EXPLOITATION AT THE KOSTER SITE

This study uses faunal remains from Horizons 11-8A of the Koster Site, Greene County, Illinois, as the basis for examining subsistence change during the Early-Middle Archaic transition in the Midwest. Two related issues are considered. First, did significant changes in subsistence strategies occur? Second, what were the probable causes of subsistence change?

Current evidence from the lower Illinois River Valley suggests that subsistence change is closely related to changes in settlement or mobility strategies at this time. There also is some evidence that changes in resource distributions in response to the Hypsithermal Climatic Interval might have affected exploitation strategies. In the lower Illinois River Valley both a redistribution of upland resources and, eventually, an increase in the productivity of aquatic resources probably took place. When this information, along with the specifics of Midwestern faunal records, is considered expectations for Koster concerning the utilization of aquatics, the importance of large mammals, niche width, seasonality, and processing can be generated.

Faunal procurement and processing strategies for the Early Archaic, Middle Archaic 1, and Middle Archaic 2 periods at Koster can be reconstructed at least partially. These reconstructions indicate that the use of aquatic resources was intensified with respect to species preferring river and stream to backwater lake habitats. An increase in dependence on deer as opposed to smaller mammals also is suggested. The niche width appears to drop as mussel collecting, fishing, and deer hunting increase in importance. In addition, the short-term residential camps from the early part of the Koster record seem to have been occupied fortuitously during all seasons of the year. The base camps in the later part of the Koster record appear to represent summer-fall occupations. Nevertheless, there is no evidence that selectivity in processing of deer increased as a result of heavier reliance on logistical strategies.

These findings suggest that Midwestern archaeologists need to re-examine the assumption that Early Archaic economies were focal. They also indicate that a variety of factors including environmental change and changes in human demography influenced subsistence change between the Early and Middle Archaic.

本研究以伊利诺伊州格林县科斯特遗址（Koster Site）11-8A层位（Horizons）出土的动物遗存（faunal remains）为基础，探讨北美中西部早古风期-中古风期过渡阶段（Early-Middle Archaic transition）的生计变迁（subsistence change）。本次研究聚焦两个相关问题：其一，生计策略（subsistence strategies）是否发生了显著变化？其二，引发生计变迁的潜在动因是什么？

现有针对伊利诺伊河下游河谷的研究证据表明，此阶段的生计变迁与定居或流动性策略的变化紧密相关。另有证据显示，受高温气候期（Hypsithermal Climatic Interval）影响的资源分布变化，可能对资源开发策略造成了冲击。在伊利诺伊河下游河谷地区，高地资源（upland resources）的重新配置与水生资源（aquatic resources）生产力的最终提升均已得到证实。结合北美中西部动物遗存记录的具体特征，我们可据此推演科斯特遗址在水生资源利用、大型哺乳动物开发、生态位宽度（niche width）、季节性（seasonality）与资源加工（processing）等方面的相关情况。

我们可至少部分还原科斯特遗址早古风期（Early Archaic）、中古风1期（Middle Archaic 1）与中古风2期（Middle Archaic 2）的动物资源获取与加工策略（faunal procurement and processing strategies）。相关还原结果显示，相较于偏好回水湖生境的水生物种，遗址先民对偏好河流与溪流生境的水生物种的开发强度有所提升。研究同时表明，先民对鹿类的依赖程度相较于小型哺乳动物有所上升。随着贝类采集、捕鱼与猎鹿活动的重要性提升，遗址先民的生态位宽度（niche width）呈现收窄趋势。此外，科斯特遗址早期记录中的短期居住营地（residential camps），似乎是全年各季节均有临时使用的营地；而遗址晚期的常驻营地，则多为夏秋季的定居点。不过，并未有证据显示，因更依赖后勤策略（logistical strategies），先民对鹿类资源的加工选择性有所提升。

上述研究结果表明，北美中西部考古学者需要重新审视"早古风期经济以定居核心活动为中心"的既有假设。同时，研究也证实，早古风期至中古风期的生计变迁，受到环境变化与人口统计学（demography）变化等多重因素的共同影响。