{"id":15197,"date":"2020-03-20T16:21:15","date_gmt":"2020-03-20T20:21:15","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/umaine.edu\/hudsonmuseum\/?page_id=15197"},"modified":"2026-04-24T15:41:07","modified_gmt":"2026-04-24T19:41:07","slug":"maines-threatened-shell-middens-losing-a-link-to-understanding-our-past","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/umaine.edu\/hudsonmuseum\/online-exhibits-2\/maines-threatened-shell-middens-losing-a-link-to-understanding-our-past\/","title":{"rendered":"Maine’s Threatened Shell Middens: Losing a Link to Understanding Our Past"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Alice Kelly<\/strong><\/h1>\n\n\n\n

School of Earth and Climate Sciences <\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Climate Change Institute Department of Anthropology <\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Shell middens are cultural accumulations of shells, and occur worldwide wherever coastal residents deposit the remains of shells in a central location. Approximately 2,000 of these features are located along Maine’s mainland and land coasts. Most shell middens, or shell heaps, were created by Maine’s first residents, the Wabanaki, before the arrival of European colonists, and range in age from 4,000 years old through the time of European contact.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Maine’s shell middens are largely composed of clamshells. However, some of the middens in the Damariscotta area contain primarily oyster shells. Other cultural items, such as tools, ceramics and food remains, are often associated with shell middens. Careful excavation of shell middens that record the site stratigraphy (layering) and the exact location of artifacts within the midden to help archaeologists to determine the lifeways of these coastal residents, as well as understanding changing environmental conditions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Visit the Maine Midden Minders<\/a> website or download a PDF brochur<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n