The Sea Pines Shell Ring
What is a Shell Ring? Who made them, and why? A small group of scientists have been spending decades finding the answers to those questions, and the Sea Pines Shell Ring project has been at the heart of this research for nearly a decade.
Shell rings are circular or u-shaped piles of oyster, clam, and other shells that are mounded to surround an open plaza. Rings vary in size: some, like those in Florida, are massive constructions measuring several football fields long and more than 15 feet tall. Other rings are much smaller and are barely noticeable.
For decades, archaeologists have been studying these ancient monuments to help us understand more about the deep history of South Carolina’s ancient past. From 2015 to 2021, archaeologists Dr. Matthew Sanger (Smithsonian Museum of Natural History), Dr. Katherine Seeber (Carolina Community Archaeology), Samuel Bourcy, MA PRA (Hartgen Associates), Dr. Michele Troutman, Quinn Ogden, MA RPA (SM&E Associates) and many more worked together to investigate the Sea Pines Shell Ring.
Shell Rings
After excavations in 2015, 2016, 2017, 2018, and 2019, the archaeological team had unearthed incredible amounts of data. While not excavating, the archaeologists worked with volunteers and students at Binghamton University in New York to analyze the materials recovered. This data helped to provide information about the people who built the ring.
Although it was first established almost 5,000 years ago, the Sea Pines Shell Ring was only lightly used until around 4,000 years ago. At that time a community moved in and began living at the site year-round. This community was probably small, perhaps only 5-6 families, likely living outside the ring. The community gathered in the ring to prepare food, tools, nets and pottery. On special occasions neighboring groups would join the local community and gather in its plaza. The archaeologists suspect that these gatherings included a wide range of native peoples. Their excavations recovered a large number of highly decorated pots, many of them quite large.
Excavations
Though research continues, results of the Sea Pines Shell Ring project have been presented in many forums. The Sea Pines Nature Preserve worked with the archaeologists to created new exhibit panels explaining the results and what they might mean.
The South Carolina Department of Natural Resources Heritage Trust department commissioned a short documentary film about our shell rings called The Ring People (see below). The Sea Pines excavations contributed to this story as well.
Archaeologists have also been publishing the results of their research in scientific journals, presented at archaeological conferences, and given many talks about their work on the island.
