A current assessment and commentary on the field of shell seasonality

Abstract

This review aims to summarise the outcomes, methods, and ideas of shellfish seasonality studies of the last 50 years. With the start of using mollusc shells as indicator of seasonal subsistence and mobility, a range of methods and approaches were used to better understand past human use of the marine (and riverine) environment. I have collated information from over 70 studies and over 400 sites to provide and compare information regarding their seasonality, their spatial and temporal distribution, their species of interest, their sample sizes and methods of determining season. In addition, I have selected several case studies that spotlight and emphasise ideas and important aspects of seasonality research which are worth reintegrating into current studies, chiefly among them the reliance on adequate modern reference studies. I further show that even today, the time investment and general lack of modern and local reference studies are one of the major problems in the study of shell seasonality.