McQueen Shell Circle

The McQueen Shell Ring is a Late Archaic archaeological site off the coast of Georgia, notable for its surplus of copper artifacts recovered during multiple excavations.[1] This Late Archaic Occupation, constructed between 2300 and 1800 cal. B.C., is marked by radiocarbon dates from artifacts found at the site.[1] Notable excavation findings include a conical pit, sheet copper, and calcined human and animal bones.[1] The McQueen Shell Ring is part of a network of ring buildings where Native Americans created significant deposits of shells derived from oysters and clams.[1] These shell networks, believed to be villages, ritual gathering points, and having multiple uses over time, date back to the Late Archaic period.[1] The copper artifacts have been meticulously analyzed[2] at the Elemental Analysis Facility at the Chicago Field Museum of Natural History.[1]

  1. ^ a b c d e f Hill, Mark A.; Lattanzi, Gregory D.; Sanger, Matthew; Dussubieux, Laure (2019-04-01). "Elemental analysis of Late Archaic copper from the McQueen Shell Ring, St. Catherine's Island, Georgia". Journal of Archaeological Science: Reports. 24: 1083–1094. Bibcode:2019JArSR..24.1083H. doi:10.1016/j.jasrep.2019.01.017. ISSN 2352-409X.
  2. ^ Sanger, Matthew C. (September 2021). "Joining the Circle: Native American Philosophy Applied to the Study of Late Archaic Shell Rings of the Southeast United States". Journal of Archaeological Method and Theory. 28 (3): 737–765. doi:10.1007/s10816-021-09532-8. ISSN 1072-5369.