You know the place: Identifying a special-use site in a region of enduring biotic richness

A common feature of many archaeological sites along the Gulf Coast is the shell midden sans evidence of associated domestic structures or primary activity areas. Deposits like these are present at the Thompson's Landing (8ES950) site on the University of West Florida campus. This paper explores the potential for inferences to be made about past human behaviors based on prehistoric refuse structure and content. Group size, occupation span, and the variety of resources exploited are examined through the archaeological, ethnobotanical, and zooarchaeological analyses of a set of shell middens dating to the Woodland and Mississippi periods.