The Central Mississippi Valley chapter of the Arkansas Archeological Society hosted a lecture about disappearing mussel mass. The lecture used archeology of mussel shells to discuss conservation and history.

Robert Scott, an archeologist with the Arkansas Archeological Survey, spoke at the Arkansas State University Museum about his research in a lecture called “Disappearing Mussel Mass: Applied Zooarcheology and the Analysis of Archeological Mussel Shell.”

“I was told to learn how to analyze mussel shell from someone I worked for (the University of Arkansas at Monticello),” Scott said. “Then I just sort of got into it.”

Scott said his archeology research can be used by conservation biologists. Researchers compare current and prehistoric collections of mussel shell to track extinction and endangered species.

Julie Morrow, an archeologist and professor at A-State, worked with Scott previously when he acted as her assistant while working on his doctorate.

“A lot of the mussels are disappearing and our archeological collections are really valuable, because it shows the frequency of species in the past versus those that we know are in streams today. So his research on the mussels, in particular, is important to highlight how some of them are disappearing quickly,” Morrow said.

The lecture also showed the historical perspective of mussel shell research. Native Americans used mussels for making tools, personal ornaments and fishing bait. Archeologists can also identify a population’s eating habits by analyzing preserved mussel shells.

Mussel shells historically have been used for buttons. According to the “Encyclopedia of Arkansas,” the shell button industry made mussels incredibly valuable to the people of the Mississippi Valley.

Cori Hufstedler, a senior sociology and English major from Jonesboro, attended the lecture to receive bonus points in one of her classes.

“I don’t really know anything at all about archaeology and I definitely don’t know anything about mussels, so all the information was new to me,” Hufstedler said.

She said she took notes during the lecture about the historical and conservation perspectives.

“I thought it was interesting learning about the different ways that they used mussels, like the tools, spoons, bowls, pottery,” Hufstedler said. “Also, just how many of them are extinct or endangered. He said 202 out of about 300.”

Scott referenced an article from “The Journal of Human Paleoecology” during his lecture. This article indicates human-created changes in landscape can severely hurt freshwater mussels, which contributes to their endangerment.

Scott discussed different types of bias archaeologists can encounter and ways to avoid them. These biases comprised prehistoric sampling or collection, excavator sampling, recovery, preservation and cultural bias.

Scott said he first became interested in archeology in high school. He said he wishes schools in Arkansas would do a better job of exposing high school students to archeology so more people would choose to study it in college.

Arkansas only has one doctoral program in archeology. Scott said he thinks there should be more opportunities since many Arkansans interested in archeology have to leave the state for their education.

“(In archeology) there’s all kinds of analysis you can do, there’s no end to the questions you can ask,” Scott said. 

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