Jon Erlandson
@viking1000.bsky.social
Archaeologist & retired professor/museum director; worked at the University of Oregon for >30 years. Fieldwork along the Pacific Coast of North America (CA/OR/AK), +7 seasons digging Viking Age Iceland. Islands, Coasts, & Deep History.
The last gasp of the “turn to the sea recently” hypothesis came in 1987 when one of top coastal archaeologists of the time declared it a “historical fact” that humans only systematically harvested marine resources during the past 15,000 years or less. Not a theory or hypothesis, a FACT. Wrong!
January 18, 2025 at 9:16 PM
The last gasp of the “turn to the sea recently” hypothesis came in 1987 when one of top coastal archaeologists of the time declared it a “historical fact” that humans only systematically harvested marine resources during the past 15,000 years or less. Not a theory or hypothesis, a FACT. Wrong!
The 2024 Volume 19 of the Journal of Island & Coastal Archaeology arrived in December, 878 pages of great articles from around the world! Unfortunately I spilled an elaborately crafted smoothie on it! Still readable, but pretty sticky . . . so it goes.
January 18, 2025 at 8:58 PM
The 2024 Volume 19 of the Journal of Island & Coastal Archaeology arrived in December, 878 pages of great articles from around the world! Unfortunately I spilled an elaborately crafted smoothie on it! Still readable, but pretty sticky . . . so it goes.
Humans only turned to the sea, they said—harvesting “marginal” aquatic foods—fish, shellfish, sea mammals, seaweeds, etc—after large land mammals were decimated. A deer equaled 177,000 oysters, they said, why bother? Forget what the Tlingit in Alaska say: When the tide is out, the table is set!
December 21, 2024 at 6:34 PM
Humans only turned to the sea, they said—harvesting “marginal” aquatic foods—fish, shellfish, sea mammals, seaweeds, etc—after large land mammals were decimated. A deer equaled 177,000 oysters, they said, why bother? Forget what the Tlingit in Alaska say: When the tide is out, the table is set!
I grew up swimming & surfing in the Pacific. In grad school, I found it odd that top anthropologists said our ancestors ignored marine ecosystems for >99% of our (Homo sp.) deep history. 🌍 Yet coastlines-where land & sea meet-are hotspots of biodiversity, rich in resources. Something didn't add up.
December 17, 2024 at 8:32 PM
I grew up swimming & surfing in the Pacific. In grad school, I found it odd that top anthropologists said our ancestors ignored marine ecosystems for >99% of our (Homo sp.) deep history. 🌍 Yet coastlines-where land & sea meet-are hotspots of biodiversity, rich in resources. Something didn't add up.
An oddity of 20th century archaeology was the widely held theory that “coastal adaptations” only appeared worldwide in the last 10,000-15,000 years. South Africa’s Middle Stone Age shell middens, dated between 164,000 & 55,000 years ago, effectively demolished this theory for this part of the world.
December 13, 2024 at 2:08 AM
An oddity of 20th century archaeology was the widely held theory that “coastal adaptations” only appeared worldwide in the last 10,000-15,000 years. South Africa’s Middle Stone Age shell middens, dated between 164,000 & 55,000 years ago, effectively demolished this theory for this part of the world.
In 2005, Scott Fitzpatrick and I started as founding coeditors of the Journal of Island & Coastal Archaeology. In 2025, under Scott’s continued leadership, JICA will publish its 20th volume! Still going strong, with more than 8,000 pages on our deep entanglement with island & coastal ecosystems.
December 11, 2024 at 1:59 AM
In 2005, Scott Fitzpatrick and I started as founding coeditors of the Journal of Island & Coastal Archaeology. In 2025, under Scott’s continued leadership, JICA will publish its 20th volume! Still going strong, with more than 8,000 pages on our deep entanglement with island & coastal ecosystems.