Seafarers and Shell Rings: Strange Formations on the American Coast a Hallmark of Faraway Visitors?

Print
    
Piles of clamshells (Schvin/CC BY 2.0), background: men in a Curragh, a skin boat (WilliamMurphy/CC BY-SA 2.0);Deriv.

Seafarers and Shell Rings: Strange Formations on the American Coast a Hallmark of Faraway Visitors?

Just south of Awendaw, South Carolina, in the Francis Marion National Forest, is an example of a type of architectural artifact that still baffles archaeologists.  For every explanation someone offers up, there are many more that refute it.  Here's the story:

5,000 years ago, there lived a people by the sea who, in various locations along America's southeastern seaboard, piled up millions upon millions of clam and oyster shells in either a circle or U-shaped formation measuring, in some cases, more than 200 feet (61 meters) across and 10 to 12 feet (three to 3.5 meters) high.  The usual place of construction was on estuaries, rich in resources. 

Sewee Shell Ring, located south of Awendaw, South Carolina in Francis Marion National Forest, USA. (Public Domain)


Become a member to read more OR login here

Ancient Origins Quotations