Funerary archaeoentomology as a tool for studying agricultural resilience during the early American Colonial period (CA. 1680s) at historic St. Mary’s City, Maryland, USA

Entomology analyses applied to investigating historical graves and other past funerary sites can provide proxy data about the subject and the landscape they lived in. Data gleaned from funerary archaeoentomology has included indicators of burial season, insect pollinator occurrence, and crop pest infestation. An agricultural and/or environmental forensics lens could be applied to archaeoentomology data for a long-term perspective; for example, in the context of investigating the provenance of toxic pollutants and impacts from improperly using pesticides. This paper presents an interdisciplinary investigation of the entomofauna from the Philip Calvert coffin at Historic St. Mary’s City, Maryland. Morphological identification was paired with aDNA barcoding of select specimens to analyze sub-fossil insects with a focus on rove beetles (Coleoptera, Staphylinidae), ants (Hymenoptera, Formicidae), oribatid mites (Acari, Oribatida) and suspected crop pests. Assuming an archaeology assemblage is a partial historical snapshot, the occurrence of thrips (Thysanoptera, Thripidae) and leafhoppers (Hemiptera, cf. Cicadellidae) may indicate pest challenges. A year-long survey of contemporaneous ground-dwelling and carrion associated arthropods was completed to compare historical and modern taxa with shifts in agronomic land use at the rural coastal site. Soil chemistry, weather data, and archaeobotany analyses are also integrated with statistical modeling to measure changes and identify indicator species. The project objective is to better understand the impacts of introducing synthetic agricultural inputs on a local entomofauna community. Ultimately the goal is to develop sustainable farmscaping strategies specific to native natural enemy species that have maintained a local population from the late 1600s through today.