AD 1000 – 1500 (Theory): The concept of “Sea Level Change” is critical for reconstructing pre-Columbian coastlines and understanding settlement patterns.

c. AD 1000 – 1500 (Theory): The concept of “Sea Level Change” is critical for reconstructing pre-Columbian coastlines and understanding settlement patterns. Research by Sylvia Scudder and others has shown that fluctuating sea levels and coastal progradation significantly altered the availability of marine resources and the suitability of certain sites for habitation. Many coastal sites visited by early explorers like Columbus have since been submerged or moved inland due to these environmental shifts. Integrating geomorphological data with archaeological findings allows researchers to visualize the “dynamic landscape” that the First Islanders navigated and managed over millennia.