Hurricanes and Habitations: Cultural Adaptations to Estuarine Environments on the Southwest Florida Coast

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dc.contributor.advisorWidmer, Randolph J.
dc.contributor.committeeMemberStorey, Rebecca
dc.contributor.committeeMemberSchubert, Darren K.
dc.creatorWashington, James Philip 1983-
dc.date.accessioned2018-11-26T22:33:49Z
dc.date.available2018-11-26T22:33:49Z
dc.date.createdAugust 2013
dc.date.issued2013-08
dc.date.submittedAugust 2013
dc.date.updated2018-11-26T22:33:49Z
dc.description.abstractIn the early 20th century, the Shell Island site was identified during an explosion of interest in the southwest Florida region and was initially described as a habitation site by C. B. Moore in 1907 and later by Hrdlicka in 1919. After 1997 excavations at the site performed by Widmer, he also hypothesized that the site was indeed utilized as a domestic habitation. Using data derived from these excavations, this thesis will empirically test hypotheses of the diagenesis and function of this site using criteria and methodology developed by Gill (1954), Pickering (1998) and Widmer (1989). Furthermore, results from investigations at other coastal habitation site types in Collier County Florida where site diagenesis and function theories have been tested will be used as a comparative dataset from which to deductively assess Shell Island. Finally, geographic information systems and remote sensing technology will be employed in an effort to better understand the environmental pressures that resulted in cultural adaptations that are evident across southwest Florida. This investigation finds that the cost of living in the rich estuarine environment which facilitated so much sociocultural development was the continued threat of storm surge events. The cultural adaptation of building shell platforms with raised-floor habitation structures on top of them allowed the aboriginal populations to continue to benefit from the environment without being wiped out during these regular events.
dc.description.departmentComparative Cultural Studies, Department of
dc.format.digitalOriginborn digital
dc.format.mimetypeapplication/pdf
dc.identifier.urihttp://hdl.handle.net/10657/3391
dc.language.isoeng
dc.rightsThe author of this work is the copyright owner. UH Libraries and the Texas Digital Library have their permission to store and provide access to this work. Further transmission, reproduction, or presentation of this work is prohibited except with permission of the author(s).
dc.subjectAdaptation
dc.subjectAnthropology
dc.subjectArchaeology
dc.subjectCoastal
dc.subjectEstuarine
dc.subjectFlorida
dc.subjectHabitation
dc.subjectHurricanes
dc.subjectMound
dc.subjectMidden
dc.subjectPostmold
dc.subjectPrehistoric
dc.subjectShell middens
dc.subjectShell-bearing
dc.subjectStorm
dc.subjectSurges
dc.titleHurricanes and Habitations: Cultural Adaptations to Estuarine Environments on the Southwest Florida Coast
dc.type.dcmiText
dc.type.genreThesis
thesis.degree.collegeCollege of Liberal Arts and Social Sciences
thesis.degree.departmentComparative Cultural Studies, Department of
thesis.degree.disciplineArchaeology
thesis.degree.grantorUniversity of Houston
thesis.degree.levelMasters
thesis.degree.nameMaster of Arts

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