Micro-regional approaches for submerged site archaeology

Abstract

Some of the most pivotal questions in human prehistory hinge on archaeological sites that are now under water. While the discovery of submerged sites presents numerous technological challenges, they offer unique potentials for investigating time periods, cultures, and adaptations that are only poorly known on land. Yet despite this potential, the results from underwater research have, to date, had relatively limited impact. One reason is that underwater research rarely produces the systematic coverage of space and material culture that is needed to conduct anthropologically relevant research. The investigation of micro-regions as a means to elucidate economic and social relations in the past has been widely adopted in terrestrial archaeology, and yet is arguably even better suited to submerged settings. By defining specific and comparable localities as the target for intensive search, a micro-regional approach can provide the framework for generating a rigorous systematic coverage of space and material, while still operating within the physical and financial constraints of underwater research. This paper illustrates how a micro-regional approach to submerged landscapes can be operationalized as represented by survey efforts on the Late Paleoindian occupation of the Alpena-Amberley Ridge beneath modern Lake Huron.

Keywords:

• Great Lakes
• underwater
• archaeological methods

Acknowledgements

The approach to submerged landscape sampling described in this paper has grown out of archaeological investigations on the AAR beneath central Lake Huron. The design and execution of the initial surveys was done with Guy Meadows, while the formalization and application of the micro-regional approach was developed in active collaboration with Ashley Lemke and Lisa Sonnenburg. AUV mapping of the micro-regions was conducted with Jamey Anderson. The map in Figure 3 was produced by John Klausmeyer, and the photo mosaic in Figure 5 was created by Ashley Lemke. Archaeological research on the AAR has been supported by awards from the National Science Foundation (BCS-0829324, 0964424, 1441241, 1530628) and from the NOAA OE program (NA10OAR0110187).