Icehouse Bottom Diet

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Icehouse Bottom is an Early to Middle Archaic site in Eastern Tennessee. It was a place where hunters gathered quite frequently. After 8000 BC, rains and floods forced layer upon layer, making each time the hunters returned like a "layer-cake." These returns made the Icehouse Bottom site very easy to stratify. The lowest level found is thought to be occupied around 7500 BC. It was a popular site for hunting due to its diverse game as well as wild vegetable foods. From the evidence found, it is probably that the Icehouse Bottom people dieted on animals like white-tailed dear, black bear, elk, fox. opossum, raccoon, squirrel, and rabbit. As mentioned, wild vegetables were also very important in their diet. These included acorns, walnuts, hazelnuts, chestnuts, and hickory nuts. Although the nuts were most popular, green vegetables were eaten as well as blackberries, strawberries, raspberries, and plums.

Ancient North America Fagan, Brian M. Thames and Hudson Ltd. 2005