Re: oyster middens >1 Ma? (Re: aquatic nonsense (Re: Evolution of human nakedness

From: wbarwell (wbarwell_at_munnnged.mylinuxisp.com)
Date: 11/27/04 

Date: Sat, 27 Nov 2004 05:13:58 -0500

Aardvark J. Bandersnatch, MP wrote:

>
> "Nick Maclaren" <nmm1@cus.cam.ac.uk> wrote in message
> news:co7evi$hf2$1@gemini.csx.cam.ac.uk...
>>
>> In article <co5a7p$bk3@library2.airnews.net>,
>> wbarwell <wbarwell@munnnged.mylinuxisp.com> writes:
>> |> >
>> |> > Evidence for oyster middens from over a million years ago
>> |> > would certainly be very strong evidence for SOME gathering
>> |> > animal, but there would need to be more than just that to
>> |> > link them to humans. However, I am a little doubtful, as
>> |> > my understanding is that oysters are not the most likely
>> |> > shellfish to be gathered and eaten by hominids.
>> |>
>> |> Dunno, I know that here in Texas, the Karankawa indians
>> |> that lived along the Gulf of Mexico did indeed eat a lot of oysters.
>> |> Because they were relatively easy to get. Of couse they ate
>> |> fish, and sometimes hunted deer also.
>> |> But oysters, if you have good oyster beds are almost ridiculously easy
>> |> to get. Crabs are too, where you have good edible species,
>> |> in Texas we have the excellent blue crab.
>>
>> Yes, I know that but, as I understand it, many other shellfish
>> in those waters are equally common and easier to shuck. Now,
>> in the UK, oyster shells are often found in middens as much
>> because of the durability of the shells as the dominance of
>> the shellfish in the diet. So I am only a LITTLE doubtful.
>>
>> The serious point is that we need some evidence both of the
>> existence of the middens and of hominid involvement.
>
> The problem there is that such middens would very likely have been wiped
> out by tidal action, land recession, and so on.
>
> I'm also from the northern coast of Gulf of Mexico. Most of the Indian
> tribes along the Gulf apparently lived quite well with marine resources.

It seemed to be a pretty easy lifestyle except for occasional hurricanes
and mosquitos. 

-- 
Kerry - two medals a silver and bronze star.
Bush? Well they don't give medals
for going AWOL, missing your medical and 
getting grounded or falling off of a bar stool.
Kerry - a hero, Bush - a zero
Cheerful Charlie

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