January 8, 2026: Dr. Carey Garland
Hokfv-Mocvse (5000-4800 BP) and the Emergence of Shell Ring Villages on the Georgia Coast
Dr. Carey Garland, Assistant Research Scientist, Laboratory of Archaeology, University of Georgia
Zoom link: https://tinyurl.com/3m3uhk9p
In 2022, a collaborative field school between the Muscogee (Creek) Nation and the University of Georgia’s Laboratory of Archaeology identified the Hokfv Mocvse (Muskogean for “new sea shell”) Shell Ring on Ossabaw Island, Georgia. Shell rings are circular shell features that are the remnants of North America’s earliest sedentary villages. Dating to around 5000 years BP, Hokfv Mocvse is currently the oldest known shell ring on the Georgia Coast, predating other rings by almost 500 years. In this presentation, Dr. Garland will talk about how archaeological research at this cultural site, and other shell ring sites alike, is providing valuable insight into early village life in Eastern North America, especially concerning coastal adaptations and the emergence of long-held institutions centered on coastal resource management.
Dr. Carey Garland received his PhD in Anthropology from the UGA in 2019. The following year, he took a postdoctoral position at UGA’s Laboratory of Archaeology. In 2023, he was permanently hired by the Laboratory of Archaeology and was recently promoted to an Assistant Research Scientist. Garland continues to direct the Archaeology Field School and conducts research and trains students in archaeological field and lab methods, with an emphasis on Indigenous histories along the Georgia coast.
