The value of freshwater mussels for interpreting the past: a case study from the Murray River Basin

Abstract

Freshwater mussel shells are commonly found in archaeological sites along the inland waterways of Australia, having served various purposes in the past such as a food source, material for tool making, and more. These shell matrix sites hold more than just a list of what species were harvested; they can provide a time-constrained snapshot into past human-mollusc-environment relationships through the application of radiocarbon dating and sclerochronology. Sclerochronology, the study of the growth and geochemistry of accretionary layers in shells, unlocks the high-resolution climate record stored within the freshwater mussel shell itself, allowing for information such as season-of-collection to be determined. However, both radiocarbon dating and sclerochronology require a solid understanding of contemporary environmental conditions in order to apply them effectively to the archaeological record. 

As such, this presentation will give an overview of two separate studies conducted as part of Chloe’s PhD research in the Central Murray River Basin, primarily on First People of the Millewa Mallee Country. The first, establishes the magnitude of the freshwater reservoir effect in the region which will help the archaeological community develop more robust chronologies when radiocarbon dating freshwater shells. The second applies sclerochronology to modern freshwater mussel shells to better understand how the river mussel, Alathyria jacksoni, relates to the hydrology and climate so that past environmental records held in the archaeological remains of this species can be better interpreted. These results form the baseline of future studies investigating human-mollusc-Country relationships in this region, where people have been living for at least 29,000 years. 

About the Presenters

Chloe Stringer

Chloe is a final year PhD researcher at the University of Melbourne applying sclerochronology and other techniques and ways of knowledge to the investigation of freshwater mussel, Alathryia jacksoni, collected from the Central Murray River Basin. She recently took a Leave of Absence from her PhD to take-up a Research Assistant position at Aarhus University, Denmark, where she is applying sclerochronology and standard zooarchaeological techniques to the study of shell material from the Danish Neolithic site, Ginnerup. She is interested in the application of multi-pronged approaches to investigating human-animal-environment relationships in the past.