The role of salmon fishing in the adoption of pottery technology in subarctic Alaska

TY - JOUR

T1 - The role of salmon fishing in the adoption of pottery technology in subarctic Alaska

AU - Admiraal, Marjolein

AU - Jordan, Peter D.

AU - Talbot, Helen M.

AU - Craig, Oliver E.

AU - Serna, Alejandro

AU - Taché, Karine

AU - von Tersch, Matthew

AU - Hendy, Jessica

AU - McGrath, Krista

AU - Craig, Oliver E.

AU - Lucquin, Alexandre

N1 - Funding Information: The authors dedicate this work to the late Dr. Don Dumond, whose invaluable support, guidance and advice provided the backbone of this study. This research is part of MA's PhD project at the University of Groningen. The project was co-supervised by co-authors PDJ and OEC. This work was supported by the University of Groningen, Faculty of Arts, the Arts and Humanities Research Council (AH/L0069×/1), and the European Research Council (ERC-2015-AdG No 695539). We are grateful to Pamela Endzweig and the Museum of Natural and Cultural History in Eugene, Kathryn Myers and the Katmai National Park Service, as well as Aaron Crowell and the Smithsonian Arctic Studies Center in Anchorage for facilitating the sampling of the ceramic vessels. We thank the Zeehondencentrum Pieterburen as well as Ester Oras for supplying reference materials, and Kristine Korzow Richter for identification of faunal remains through ZooMS. Furthermore, we thank Frits Steenhuisen for creating the maps used in this research, and extend our gratitude to Shinya Shoda and Laura Llorente Rodriguez for their valuable contribution to MA's lab training. Funding Information: The authors dedicate this work to the late Dr. Don Dumond, whose invaluable support, guidance and advice provided the backbone of this study. This research is part of MA's PhD project at the University of Groningen. The project was co-supervised by co-authors PDJ and OEC. This work was supported by the University of Groningen, Faculty of Arts, the Arts and Humanities Research Council ( AH/L0069×/1 ), and the European Research Council ( ERC-2015-AdG No 695539 ). We are grateful to Pamela Endzweig and the Museum of Natural and Cultural History in Eugene, Kathryn Myers and the Katmai National Park Service, as well as Aaron Crowell and the Smithsonian Arctic Studies Center in Anchorage for facilitating the sampling of the ceramic vessels. We thank the Zeehondencentrum Pieterburen as well as Ester Oras for supplying reference materials, and Kristine Korzow Richter for identification of faunal remains through ZooMS. Furthermore, we thank Frits Steenhuisen for creating the maps used in this research, and extend our gratitude to Shinya Shoda and Laura Llorente Rodriguez for their valuable contribution to MA's lab training. Publisher Copyright: © 2023 The Authors

PY - 2023/9

Y1 - 2023/9

N2 - Ceramic technology makes an abrupt appearance in the New World Arctic at circa 2800 cal BP. While there is general consensus that the ultimate source of these Alaskan pottery traditions lay in continental NE Asia, the motivations for the adoption of pottery in Alaska have remained unclear. Through organic residue analysis we investigated the function of Norton pottery in Southwest Alaska, and the extent to which its function changed in later periods under the increasing northern influence of Thule culture in the region (from ca. 1000 cal BP). Our results show clear evidence of aquatic resource processing in all pottery vessels. Regional variability due to environmental and ecological differences are apparent in the pottery. The majority of Norton pottery was from inland riverine locations and the function of this early pottery was to process anadromous fish, with only limited evidence of other resources. After 1000 cal BP more sites appear on the coast, and while pottery technology changes dramatically at this time, this is not as clear in pottery function which remains aimed at local abundant aquatic resources. We hypothesize that pottery was adopted into Alaska as part of a riverine adaptation and suggest that targeted human exploitation of large riverine systems may have facilitated its expansion into Southwest Alaska. Furthermore, we suggest that this pattern might extend back into Siberia where Alaskan pottery originates.

AB - Ceramic technology makes an abrupt appearance in the New World Arctic at circa 2800 cal BP. While there is general consensus that the ultimate source of these Alaskan pottery traditions lay in continental NE Asia, the motivations for the adoption of pottery in Alaska have remained unclear. Through organic residue analysis we investigated the function of Norton pottery in Southwest Alaska, and the extent to which its function changed in later periods under the increasing northern influence of Thule culture in the region (from ca. 1000 cal BP). Our results show clear evidence of aquatic resource processing in all pottery vessels. Regional variability due to environmental and ecological differences are apparent in the pottery. The majority of Norton pottery was from inland riverine locations and the function of this early pottery was to process anadromous fish, with only limited evidence of other resources. After 1000 cal BP more sites appear on the coast, and while pottery technology changes dramatically at this time, this is not as clear in pottery function which remains aimed at local abundant aquatic resources. We hypothesize that pottery was adopted into Alaska as part of a riverine adaptation and suggest that targeted human exploitation of large riverine systems may have facilitated its expansion into Southwest Alaska. Furthermore, we suggest that this pattern might extend back into Siberia where Alaskan pottery originates.

KW - Alaska

KW - Lipid residue analysis

KW - Pottery

UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=85165281836&partnerID=8YFLogxK

U2 - 10.1016/j.jas.2023.105824

DO - 10.1016/j.jas.2023.105824

M3 - Article

AN - SCOPUS:85165281836

SN - 0305-4403

VL - 157

JO - Journal of archaeological science

JF - Journal of archaeological science

M1 - 105824

ER -