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Abstract
We present data on two prehistoric freshwater mussel (Unionidae) shell assemblages from Bayou Bartholomew, a free-flowing stream in Drew County, southeast Arkansas. The Taylor (3DR2) and Tillar Farms (3DR30) sites provided large shell samples from Baytown (seventh century A.D.) and Mississippian (fifteenth century A.D.) contexts, respectively. Comparison between prehistoric and modern assemblages shows some negative effects on fauna from increased turbidity, a phenomenon that may have begun in prehistoric times. In general, however, despite decades of intensive agriculture and other landscape modifications in the area, historical impacts on molluscan faunas in the Bayou have been unusually minor as compared to other waterways in eastern North America. These data emphasize the value of zooarchaeological remains as they pertain to modern landmanagement issues.