Paleoenvironmental Reconstruction at the Jupiter Inlet I Site: An Archaeomalacological Approach

For several decades, archaeologists have studied the utilization of marine, estuarine, and riverine
resources by Florida’s prehistoric people. Looking into the past to see how prehistoric people utilized
their environment helps to lend insight into the effects on human and non-human populations. My
research aims to reconstruct the environmental habitat zones present at the Jupiter Inlet I Site at the
time of occupation based upon the molluscan, or shellfish, species identified. Furthermore, I will show
preliminary data from archaeological excavations in order to determine whether there are changes in
the kinds and quantities of molluscan species through time at this archaeological site.