Exploring Early Pottery Function, Foodways, and Land-Use Changes in the Middle Savannah River Valley: The Results of Organic Residue Analysis
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In this paper, we consider the functions of Late Archaic pottery vessels from the Middle Savannah River valley of Georgia and South Carolina to identify patterns of differential use between mobile and increasingly settled groups. To directly determine the function of these early cooking pots, organic residue analysis was carried out on a large assemblage of Stallings period vessels. Vessels were studied from both Early Stallings contexts—when groups exhibited mobile settlement patterns, moving seasonally along the Savannah River to exploit resource booms such as fall mast, deer, and spring sturgeon and shad—and Classic Stallings contexts, which represent a period of increased sedentism as groups became more place-based. By comparing organic residue data from these contexts, we explore how shifts in settlement strategies influenced the selection and processing of food resources in pottery, shedding light on cultural dynamics and human-environment relations during this transitional period.
