6
Biology of Sea Turtles, Volume II
that seals from Saar include marine turtle motifs indicates that the reptiles not only
were known, but also were important to the people there (see Section 1.3.1).
Evidence from outside the Arabian and Middle Eastern area is dispersed and not
well known. For example, remains of marine turtles were found at Dembeni, Mayotte
Island, Comoro Archipelago, and dated at 800–900 C.E. One bone was identified as
C. mydas, and some of the bones were affected by fire (Redding and Goodman, 1984).
There have been several inferences about overkill of marine turtles during prehistoric times, resulting in the extirpation of local populations from eastern Arabia
(e.g., Hoch, 1979; Mosseri-Marlio, 2000: 31). The data are sketchy (indeed, species
identifications are unconfirmed), and arguments that there is no longer ready abundance of marine turtles near to the archaeological localities need to be substantiated.
1.2.2 ZOOARCHAEOLOGICAL REMAINS IN THE WESTERN HEMISPHERE
In the Western Hemisphere concentrations of records exist from the southeastern
U.S. (Table 1.2), Caribbean (Table 1.3), and the Yucatán Peninsula area (inhabited
by the Mayan civilization) (Table 1.4). The oldest record seems to be a passing
comment in a paper on nesting activity: archaeological evidence suggests that
Caretta caretta, the loggerhead turtle, was utilized, supposedly as a food source, on
Kiawah Island, South Carolina, since at least 2000 B.C.E. (Combs in Talbert et al.,
1980). Wing (1977: 84) emphasized the importance of these reptiles to prehistoric
societies by referring to the “sea turtle harvesting constellation.”
Larson (1980: 128, 132–133) compiled information from nine published and five
unpublished sources reporting on marine turtle bones in the southeastern coastal plain
of the U.S. (Table 1.2). This included four sites in Georgia and more than ten sites in
Florida that ranged from the late Archaic to Mississippi period, including three cultural
epochs of the latter: Deptford, Weeden Island, and Glades II. Hence, marine turtle
remains in just the Southeast may date from 3000 B.C.E. to 1500 C.E. Although in most
cases species identifications were not made, three species were identified: C. caretta
was reported from two sites, C. mydas was reported from four sites, and Lepidochelys
kempii was reported from one site. Bones of immatures were reported from Wash
Island, Florida, and at the Jungerman site in Florida bones from at least 12 individuals
were found.
Wing and Reitz (1982) summarized information from the Caribbean, and
included 16 sites from Florida where marine turtle remains have been reported
(Table 1.3); three of these sites had been reported in Larson’s earlier compilation
for the southeastern coastal plane (Table 1.2). Schaffer (2001) further updated the
information, reporting turtle remains from 24 sites in Florida, six in Georgia, and
one in North Carolina, involving the same three species reported previously. However, he reported that there was rarely evidence of more than one individual turtle
per site. A more detailed study (Schaffer and Thunen, in press) concluded that the
majority of sites in Florida were in the south and southwest coasts of the state, which
were coastal areas formerly inhabited by the Tequesta and Calusa peoples, respectively. In contrast, Timucua middens, from northeastern Florida, showed relatively
few remains of marine turtles, although these people evidently had access to turtles
(Reitz and Scarry, 1985, cited in Schaffer and Thunen, in press). It was argued that
1123_C01.fm Page 6 Friday, November 15, 2002 11:13 AM
Biology of Sea Turtles, Volume II
that seals from Saar include marine turtle motifs indicates that the reptiles not only
were known, but also were important to the people there (see Section 1.3.1).
Evidence from outside the Arabian and Middle Eastern area is dispersed and not
well known. For example, remains of marine turtles were found at Dembeni, Mayotte
Island, Comoro Archipelago, and dated at 800–900 C.E. One bone was identified as
C. mydas, and some of the bones were affected by fire (Redding and Goodman, 1984).
There have been several inferences about overkill of marine turtles during prehistoric times, resulting in the extirpation of local populations from eastern Arabia
(e.g., Hoch, 1979; Mosseri-Marlio, 2000: 31). The data are sketchy (indeed, species
identifications are unconfirmed), and arguments that there is no longer ready abundance of marine turtles near to the archaeological localities need to be substantiated.
1.2.2 ZOOARCHAEOLOGICAL REMAINS IN THE WESTERN HEMISPHERE
In the Western Hemisphere concentrations of records exist from the southeastern
U.S. (Table 1.2), Caribbean (Table 1.3), and the Yucatán Peninsula area (inhabited
by the Mayan civilization) (Table 1.4). The oldest record seems to be a passing
comment in a paper on nesting activity: archaeological evidence suggests that
Caretta caretta, the loggerhead turtle, was utilized, supposedly as a food source, on
Kiawah Island, South Carolina, since at least 2000 B.C.E. (Combs in Talbert et al.,
1980). Wing (1977: 84) emphasized the importance of these reptiles to prehistoric
societies by referring to the “sea turtle harvesting constellation.”
Larson (1980: 128, 132–133) compiled information from nine published and five
unpublished sources reporting on marine turtle bones in the southeastern coastal plain
of the U.S. (Table 1.2). This included four sites in Georgia and more than ten sites in
Florida that ranged from the late Archaic to Mississippi period, including three cultural
epochs of the latter: Deptford, Weeden Island, and Glades II. Hence, marine turtle
remains in just the Southeast may date from 3000 B.C.E. to 1500 C.E. Although in most
cases species identifications were not made, three species were identified: C. caretta
was reported from two sites, C. mydas was reported from four sites, and Lepidochelys
kempii was reported from one site. Bones of immatures were reported from Wash
Island, Florida, and at the Jungerman site in Florida bones from at least 12 individuals
were found.
Wing and Reitz (1982) summarized information from the Caribbean, and
included 16 sites from Florida where marine turtle remains have been reported
(Table 1.3); three of these sites had been reported in Larson’s earlier compilation
for the southeastern coastal plane (Table 1.2). Schaffer (2001) further updated the
information, reporting turtle remains from 24 sites in Florida, six in Georgia, and
one in North Carolina, involving the same three species reported previously. However, he reported that there was rarely evidence of more than one individual turtle
per site. A more detailed study (Schaffer and Thunen, in press) concluded that the
majority of sites in Florida were in the south and southwest coasts of the state, which
were coastal areas formerly inhabited by the Tequesta and Calusa peoples, respectively. In contrast, Timucua middens, from northeastern Florida, showed relatively
few remains of marine turtles, although these people evidently had access to turtles
(Reitz and Scarry, 1985, cited in Schaffer and Thunen, in press). It was argued that
1123_C01.fm Page 6 Friday, November 15, 2002 11:13 AM