Matt Gage: Environmental Change in the Late Pleistocene and Early Holocene in the Tennessee River Valley

After the recent inland river system flooding related to Hurricane Helene, we can see archaeological correlates indicating similar events in the Late Pleistocene and Early Holocene. We will discuss how populations in the Tennessee River Valley addressed these changes and what evidence we have for shifting strategies of subsistence, settlement, and technology.

 Matt Gage serves as the Director of The University of Alabama, Office of Archaeological Research. He started his professional career in archaeology and cultural resource management more than 30 years ago when he began work at the Moundville site. Gage received his MA in Anthropology from The University of Alabama in 2000 where he received the award for excellence in research by a Master’s student from both the College of Arts and Sciences and the University for his work on the earthen structures of Alabama. He has served as project director or principal investigator on hundreds of cultural resource management and research projects throughout the region and has worked for both state and federal agencies as a compliance coordinator. His research interests are focused on Southeastern populations prior to European contact and he is currently conducting research on the archaeological record of paleoclimates and culture change.