Abstract

Recently, there has been some controversy regarding interpretations; of the seasonality of prehistoric shellfishing on the Northeast coast of North America. In this paper, a study of the seasonality of soft-shelled clams, Mya arenaria, the most common archaeological shellfish in northern New England and Maritime provinces sites, is reported. Eighty-eight modern clams from the Quoddy region, and 266 archaeological clams from 9 prehistoric sites in the insular Quoddy region, were thin-sectioned, and their growth patterns analyzed. A model of the annual growth cycle of the clams is presented. The seasonality of prehistoric shellfishing is interpreted in light of this model. In the insular Quoddy region, shellfishing appears to have been predominantly a spring/early summer activity; however, there is evidence for seasonality differences among sites and for changes in seasonality through time.