The Sapelo Shell Rings

Inside the archaeology of Indigenous environmental stewardship on the ancient Georgia coast

Shell ring sites—curved mounds made from piles of oyster, clam, conch, and other shells—can be found across the North American Southeast and have long been studied by archaeologists. Drawing on extensive research at the Sapelo Shell Ring Complex on the Georgia coast, Victor Thompson and Carey Garland explain how and why shell ring communities formed, cooperated, and built enduring institutions during the Late Archaic period, 5000–3100 BP.

Combining archaeological evidence with methods including dendrochronology, radiocarbon dating, and oxygen isotope analysis, the authors reconstruct the seasonal and generational histories of shell ring villages. They show how communities collectively harvested and managed oyster reefs and other coastal resources, adapting their practices to changing environmental conditions such as shifts in sea level and rainfall. The Sapelo Shell Rings offers new perspectives on Native Southeastern history, human-environment relationships, and collective action in the past and present.