This dissertation research will evaluate human/environmental relationships on the coastal plain of the Atlantic coast of the United States during the Holocene. Radiocarbon and thermoluminescence dating techniques will be used on peat deposits and underlying sands sampled in the regions of interest. In conjunction with pollen analysis and the examination of archaeological data from neighboring areas, the investigators hope to produce accurate dates for vegetation change and human settlements in three research sites. The study will contribute to our understanding of the environmental, ecological, and agricultural history of the Coastal Plain, and in so doing, it promises to provide evidence of human responses to and modification of the `natural` environment during the Archaic period.
