Late Woodland settlement patterns of New Jersey

Late Woodland settlement patterns in the State of New Jersey are poorly understood in comparison with other parts of the Middle Atlantic region. This study is designed to evaluate current settlement pattern data using logistical models of land use against available historical and archaeological data. Current data indicate that at least two major socioeconomic systems coexisted during late prehistory, either by exploiting different resource zones or by exploiting similar resource zones at different times of the year. Interior riverine groups focused more on horticulture, exhibiting greater residential stability; these groups are best characterized as collectors and broadly classified as mixed cultivators/mobile agriculturalists. Coastal groups were highly mobile foragers and oriented more toward maritime resources, with only a minor reliance upon horticulture; these groups most resemble partial cultivators.