Starch Analysis Of Shell Tools From The Penny Plot Site (8BR158) For The Cape Canaveral Archaeological Mitigation Project

Author

Alaina Waldo, University of Central FloridaFollow

Keywords

CCAMP, starch analysis, shell tools, Cape Canaveral, paleoethnobotany

Abstract

Shell tools have a history of being used in the processing and usage of plant foods and materials in past cultures. This study looks at starch residue analysis obtained from shell tools retrieved at site 8BR158 during excavations by the Cape Canaveral Archaeological Mitigation Project (CCAMP) in Cape Canaveral, Florida. This research hopes to expand the understanding and usage of shell tools and to gain a clearer picture of plant usage and environmental interactions of earlier inhabitants along the East Coast of Florida through starch grain analysis. Eleven shell tools were analyzed for starch residues, with six showing evidence of plant processing. Bivalve shells showed the lowest amount of starch residue and may have been single use items which were used for meat or fish processing, while whelk type shells showed the most likely evidence for plant food processing. This new information on possible usage of shell tools in the Indian River Lagoon region opens new doors to future studies, such as phytolith analysis and wear analysis, and will be of importance for gained knowledge and understanding of shell tools usage at other sites along Florida’s east coast.

Thesis Completion Year

2025

Thesis Completion Semester

Summer

Thesis Chair

Duncan, Neil

College

College of Sciences

Department

Anthropology

Thesis Discipline

Anthropology

Language

English

Access Status

Open Access

Length of Campus Access

None

Campus Location

Orlando (Main) Campus

STARS Citation

Waldo, Alaina, "Starch Analysis Of Shell Tools From The Penny Plot Site (8BR158) For The Cape Canaveral Archaeological Mitigation Project" (2025). Honors Undergraduate Theses. 387.
https://stars.library.ucf.edu/hut2024/387