@article{a577c347f491461ca385efb940f2148c,
title = "Ancient engineering of fish capture and storage in southwest Florida",
abstract = "In the 16th century, the Calusa, a fisher-gatherer-hunter society, were the most politically complex polity in Florida, and the archaeological site of Mound Key was their capital. Based on historic documents, the ruling elite at Mound Key controlled surplus production and distribution. The question remains exactly how such surplus pooling occurred and when such traditions were elaborated on and reflected in the built environment. Our work focuses on the “watercourts” and associated areas at Mound Key. These subrectangular constructions of shell and other sediments around centralized inundated areas have been variously interpreted. Here, we detail when these enclosures were constructed and their engineering and function. We argue that these structures were for large surplus capture and storage of aquatic resources that were controlled and managed by corporate groups.",
keywords = "Archaeology, Calusa, Fisher-gatherer-hunters, Florida",
author = "Thompson, {Victor D.} and Marquardt, {William H.} and Michael Savarese and Walker, {Karen J.} and Newsom, {Lee A.} and Isabelle Lulewicz and Lawres, {Nathan R.} and {Roberts Thompson}, {Amanda D.} and Bacon, {Allan R.} and Walser, {Christoph A.}",
note = "Funding Information: Laboratory at the University of Florida, and the Florida Bureau of Archaeological Research. Finally, we very much appreciate the help and support of Ted, Todd, and Tim McGee for allowing us to work on their property at Mound Key. A number of individuals from Florida Gulf Coast University{\textquoteright}s Conservation Paleobiology Laboratory, UGA, and the University of Florida provided field and laboratory assistance, including Aidan Arruza, Samantha Gibson, Erica Krueger, Jenna MacDonald, Rebecca May, Kylie Palmer, Jonathan Wittig, Matthew Colvin, Brandon Ritchison, Isabelle Lulewicz, Nate Lawres, and Michiel Kappers. We also thank Tony Krus and two anonymous reviewers for their comments on the manuscript. Funding: Research at Mound Key was supported in part by a grant from the National Geographic Society (W411-15), the John S. and James L. Knight Endowment for South Florida Archaeology, and a collaborative research grant from the NSF (no. 1550909). Any opinions, findings, conclusions, or recommendations expressed in this material are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the views of the NSF. Funding Information: We thank the Florida Museum of Natural History (FLMNH) at the University of Florida, the Department of Anthropology at the University of Georgia, the Center for Applied Isotope Studies at the University of Georgia (UGA), the Environmental Pedology and Land Use Laboratory at the University of Florida, and the Florida Bureau of Archaeological Research. Finally, we very much appreciate the help and support of Ted, Todd, and Tim McGee for allowing us to work on their property at Mound Key. A number of individuals from Florida Gulf Coast University's Conservation Paleobiology Laboratory, UGA, and the University of Florida provided field and laboratory assistance, including Aidan Arruza, Samantha Gibson, Erica Krueger, Jenna MacDonald, Rebecca May, Kylie Palmer, Jonathan Wittig, Matthew Colvin, Brandon Ritchison, Isabelle Lulewicz, Nate Lawres, and Michiel Kappers. We also thank Tony Krus and two anonymous reviewers for their comments on the manuscript. Funding: Research at Mound Key was supported in part by a grant from the National Geographic Society (W411-15), the John S. and James L. Knight Endowment for South Florida Archaeology, and a collaborative research grant from the NSF (no. 1550909). Any opinions, findings, conclusions, or recommendations expressed in this material are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the views of the NSF. Publisher Copyright: {\textcopyright} 2020 National Academy of Sciences. All rights reserved.",
year = "2020",
month = apr,
day = "14",
doi = "10.1073/pnas.1921708117",
language = "English (US)",
volume = "117",
pages = "8374--8381",
journal = "Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America",
issn = "0027-8424",
publisher = "National Academy of Sciences",
number = "15",
}