Thesis
A paleoenvironmental investigation of the island of Marie-Galante, FWI: the human and environmental nexus in the Caribbean during human occupation
Washington State University
Master of Arts (MA), Washington State University
2010
Handle:
https://hdl.handle.net/2376/104213
Abstract
In the last forty years, Caribbean archaeologists have been approaching their investigations armed with new methodological techniques. Paleoenvironmental studies have proven very useful in providing a context for archaeological investigations conducted in areas with poor macrobotanical or artifactual preservation. The analysis of pollen sequences allows for a quantitative assessment of an ecological community, for sufficient amounts of palynomorphs are preserved and provide adequate information about relative abundancies of plant species at local and regional levels. As some areas of the Caribbean still exhibit a poorly defined archaeological record, and lack thorough investigations, paleoenvironmental analyses useful in providing more supportive evidence. In particular, an island that boasts one of the oldest colonial presences in the Caribbean, but yet has little, well-grounded archaeological information available is Marie-Galante, a small, round island south of Guadeloupe. A detailed analysis of 36 pollen samples selected from a 657 cm core collected in a field two kilometers from the northwestern coast of Marie-Galante was conducted. This coring site is located near the historical site, and future nature preserve, of Vieux Fort, in the commune of Saint Louis. The core's antiquity is revealed in 4,600 years of sedimentary accumulations, and the well-preserved pollen and microfossils present have allowed a thorough paleoenvironmental analysis of this site and for this part of the Guadeloupean archipelago. The data present in the core has elucidated fluctuations in the environmental communities, as well as an initial human occupation of the island, with consequent interaction and possibly landscape management necessary to conduct successful agricultural methods of subsistence.
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Details
- Title
- A paleoenvironmental investigation of the island of Marie-Galante, FWI
- Creators
- Claudette Antonia Casile
- Contributors
- John G. Jones (Degree Supervisor)
- Awarding Institution
- Washington State University
- Academic Unit
- Anthropology, Department of
- Theses and Dissertations
- Master of Arts (MA), Washington State University
- Publisher
- Washington State University; [Pullman, Washington] :
- Identifiers
- 99900525118301842
- Language
- English
- Resource Type
- Thesis