uid=HFR,o=lter,dc=ecoinformatics,dc=org all public read doi:10.6073/pasta/db61196696093ae6f9ed51efe5738cee Elizabeth Chilton https://orcid.org/0000-0001-9720-9262 Dianna Doucette Deena Duranleau Researcher David Foster https://orcid.org/0000-0003-1171-3762 Researcher Katharine Kirakosian Researcher Wyatt Oswald https://orcid.org/0000-0001-6217-1831 Researcher Bryan Shuman https://orcid.org/0000-0002-8149-8925 Researcher Evan Taylor Researcher 2023 English

The interpretation that pre-contact Native American land-use played an increasing role in landscape dynamics through the Holocene is prevalent in historical, scientific and popular literature. This exerts a strong influence on modern conservation practices especially the use of prescribed fire (Cronon 1984, Abrams 2002, Pyne 1984, Mann 2002) and yet there has never been a robust analysis of relevant archaeological and paleoecological data on the subject. This data is used in the archaeological component of a larger National Science Foundation (NSF)-funded research project intended to analyze the triggers and drivers of ecosystem dynamics. More specifically, the research aims to determine the role of human activity (fire, land clearance, horticulture) in shaping vegetation dynamics. Some of the alternative hypotheses examined in the archaeological analysis include: (1) do we see progressively intensive cultural development and increasingly intensive land use throughout the pre-Contact period?; (2) do we see cultural continuity with fairly passive responses to environmental change and minimal ecological impact of people?; or (3) is cultural adaptation environmental and/or cultural specific, with clear influence of human agency? Our collaborative ecological and social research (Duranleau 2009, Foster and Aber 2004, Chilton et al. 2010) position us to undertake such a regional synthesis as one critical element of the proposed study on ecological dynamics and regime shifts. This synthesis will allow us to consider basic ecological questions concerning interactions among climate, disturbance and human activity in ecosystem dynamics; provide a landscape and regional test of a hypothesis put forth by Munoz et al. (2010) concerning the link between environmental change and cultural development in northeastern North America; and position our archaeological community to apply new ecological perspectives to their research. The archaeological component is derived from intensive state-wide site file research of recorded pre-contact sites across Massachusetts.

history humans land use human disturbance LTER controlled vocabulary disturbance land use human-environment LTER core area Harvard Forest HFR LTER USA HFR default

This dataset is released to the public under Creative Commons CC0 1.0 (No Rights Reserved). Please keep the dataset creators informed of any plans to use the dataset. Consultation with the original investigators is strongly encouraged. Publications and data products that make use of the dataset should include proper acknowledgement.

Creative Commons Zero v1.0 Universal https://spdx.org/licenses/CC0-1.0.html CC0-1.0 https://harvardforest.fas.harvard.edu/exist/apps/datasets/showData.html?id=hf238 Massachusetts. Coordinates based on WGS84 datum. -73.5 -69.9 +42.9 +41.3 0 1065 meter -10000 1650 complete Information Manager Harvard Forest

324 North Main Street Petersham MA 01366 USA

(978) 724-3302 hf-im@lists.fas.harvard.edu Harvard Forest

324 North Main Street Petersham MA 01366 USA

(978) 724-3302 (978) 724-3595 https://harvardforest.fas.harvard.edu

The data in this state-wide survey of archaeological sites in Massachusetts was compiled from Massachusetts Historical Commission site forms with further details obtained from academic articles, reports from the Massachusetts Archaeological Society bulletin, and reports from local cultural resource management (CRM) firms. Data from these sources was coded for presence or absence in order to identify general patterns of Native American settlement, subsistence, and other cultural activities from 12,000-300 B.P.

Harvard Forest

324 North Main Street Petersham MA 01366 USA

(978) 724-3302 (978) 724-3595 https://harvardforest.fas.harvard.edu https://ror.org/059cpzx98 pointOfContact The Harvard Forest Long-Term Ecological Research (LTER) program examines ecological dynamics in the New England region resulting from natural disturbances, environmental change, and human impacts. National Science Foundation LTER grants: DEB-8811764, DEB-9411975, DEB-0080592, DEB-0620443, DEB-1237491, DEB-1832210. hf238-01-archaeological-sites.csv archaeological sites hf238-01-archaeological-sites.csv 204173 b38d360ea0b3e04d29333db81324e383 1 \r\n column , https://harvardforest.fas.harvard.edu/data/p23/hf238/hf238-01-archaeological-sites.csv town town name town name NA missing value project.name project or site name project or site name NA missing value mhc.number Massachusetts Historical Commission inventory number Massachusetts Historical Commission inventory number NA missing value precontact Native American material culture (12,000 – 450 years Before Present [BP]) 1 confirmed presence 0 confirmed absence NA missing value historic Euro-American material culture (post 450 B.P) 1 confirmed presence 0 confirmed absence NA missing value short.term artifacts indicating temporary use of a site, may have been used more than once 1 confirmed presence 0 confirmed absence NA missing value seasonal repeated occupation with features and evidence of broad range of activities 1 confirmed presence 0 confirmed absence NA missing value sedentary evidence of year-round habitation, hearths, storage pits, middens, large quantity and variety of artifact types 1 confirmed presence 0 confirmed absence NA missing value paleoindian material dated 12,000-10,000 B.P. 1 confirmed presence 0 confirmed absence NA missing value early.archaic material dated 10,000-8000 B.P. 1 confirmed presence 0 confirmed absence NA missing value middle.archaic material dated 8000-5000 B.P. 1 confirmed presence 0 confirmed absence NA missing value late.archaic material dated 5000-3000 B.P. 1 confirmed presence 0 confirmed absence NA missing value transitional.archaic material dated 3500-2700 B.P. 1 confirmed presence 0 confirmed absence NA missing value early.woodland material dated 3000-2000 B.P. 1 confirmed presence 0 confirmed absence NA missing value middle.woodland Material dated 2000-1000 B.P. 1 confirmed presence 0 confirmed absence NA missing value late.woodland material dated 1000-450 B.P. 1 confirmed presence 0 confirmed absence NA missing value contact.period material dated 450-300 B.P. 1 confirmed presence 0 confirmed absence NA missing value unknown undated material 1 confirmed presence 0 confirmed absence NA missing value lithic.tool.repair chipping debris 1 confirmed presence 0 confirmed absence NA missing value lithic.workshop chipping debris, hammerstones, cores 1 confirmed presence 0 confirmed absence NA missing value hunting faunal material and/or projectile points 1 confirmed presence 0 confirmed absence NA missing value fishing net weights, fish hooks, fish bone/scales 1 confirmed presence 0 confirmed absence NA missing value shellfish.gathering shell 1 confirmed presence 0 confirmed absence NA missing value plant.gathering charred seeds and/or nuts 1 confirmed presence 0 confirmed absence NA missing value food.processing bifaces, scrapers, knives, etc, fauna, shellfish, plant remains 1 confirmed presence 0 confirmed absence NA missing value cooking hearth, steatite, fire-cracked rock, charcoal, pottery, charred remains 1 confirmed presence 0 confirmed absence NA missing value storage pottery, pit feature, steatite 1 confirmed presence 0 confirmed absence NA missing value disposal midden, pit feature 1 confirmed presence 0 confirmed absence NA missing value horticulture hoes, maize, seeds 1 confirmed presence 0 confirmed absence NA missing value burial human remains 1 confirmed presence 0 confirmed absence NA missing value ceremonial exotic items, pendants, decorative artifacts 1 confirmed presence 0 confirmed absence NA missing value c14.date years before present (may include lab number) years before present (may include lab number) 2013 historical regional historical paleological