This List of shell ring sites includes archaeological sites with confirmed and possible shell rings. Shell rings have been reported from Colombia, Peru, Japan, and the southeastern United States. Some sites have two or more shell rings, including some with two more or less equal rings joined together, or a main ring with smaller rings attached to it. About half of the sites with shell rings in the United States are in the Sea Islands of South Carolina, Georgia, and northeastern Florida.

Colombia Puerto Hormiga - Late Archaic shell ring.

Japan Arayashiki Shell Mound - Jōmon period circular shell mound. Futatsumori Shell Mound - Late Early to Middle Jōmon period horseshoe-shaped shell mound. Horinouchi Shell Mound site - Late to Latest Jōmon period horseshoe-shaped shell mound. Kasori Shell Mound - Two Middle to Late Jōmon period circular shell mounds. Kidosaku shellmound site - Middle to Late Jōmon period circular shell mound. Kotehashi Shell Mound - Late to Latest Jōmon period horseshoe-shaped shell mound. Kowashimizu - Jōmon period circular shell mound. Nagane Shell Mound - horseshoe-shaped shell mound. Soya Shell Mound - Jōmon period horseshoe-shaped shell mound. Ubayama Shell Mound - Middle to Late Jōmon period horseshoe-shaped shell mound.

United States

South Carolina Sea Islands Auld Mound, or Yough Hall Plantation Shell Ring (38CH41) - Late Archaic shell ring, listed in National Register of Historic Places (NRHP).National Register:7• Russo 2006:130 Barrows (38BU300) - Late Archaic shell ring.Russo 2006: 71 Bull Island (38BU475) - Shell ring of undetermined date.Russo:122 Buzzard's Island Site (38CH23) - Late Archaic shell ring, listed in NRHP.• National Register:7• Russo 2006:127 Chester Field (38BU29) - Late Archaic shell ring, listed in NRHP.National Register:3• Russo 2006:117-18 Coosaw Island (38BU1866) - Four shell rings, two conjoined, at least three are Late Archaic.• Russo 2006:74-77 Crow Island (38CH60) - C-shaped mound, possible shell ring.Russo 2006:131 :Fig Island Site (38CH42) - Three Late Archaic shell rings, one with several attached rings, listed in NRHP, National Historic Landmark (NHL). Green's Shell Enclosure - Late Archaic shell ring, listed in NRHP. Guerard Point (38BU21) Reported as a ring in 1897, now completely leveled.Russo:116 Hanckel Mound, or Leadenwah Creek Mount (38CH7) - Late Archaic shell ring, listed in NRHP.National Register:7• Russo 2006:123 Horse Island (38CH14) - Late Archaic shell ring, listed in NRHP.National Register:7• Russo 2006:126 Lighthouse Point Shell Ring, or Parrot's Point Shell Ring (38CH12) - Late Archaic shell ring, listed in NRHP.• National Register:10• Russo 2006:124-25 Patent (38BU301) - Late Archaic shell ring.Russo 2006:72-73 Sea Pines (38BU7) - Late Archaic shell ring, listed in NRHP.• National Register:3• Russo 2006:68 Sewee Mound (38CH45) - Late Archaic shell ring, listed in NRHP.• National Register:7• Russo 2006:83-84 Skull Creek (38BU8) - Two conjoined Late Archaic shell rings, listed in NRHP.National Register:3• Russo 2006:69-70 Stratton Place (38CH24) - Late Archaic shell ring.• Russo 2006:128-29

Georgia Sea Islands Barbour Island (9MC320) - Late Archaic possible shell ring.Russo 2006:148 Bony Hammock (9GN53) - Late Archaic possible shell ring.Russo 2006:144 Busch Krick (9MC87)- Late Archaic shell ring, damaged.Crusoe and DePratter:7-8• Russo 2006:147 Cane Patch (9CH35) - Late Archaic possible shell ring, has been mined.Crusoe and DePratter:8-9, 10, 11• Russo 2006:138 Cannon's Point (9GN57) Late Archaic shell ring.• Russo 2006:85-86 - Early Late Archaic (5090–4735 BP) shell ring. As of 2024, the oldest known shell ring in the Southeastern United States, aceramic. Long Field Crescent/St. Catherines Island Shell Ring (9LI231) - Late Archaic shell ring, listed in NRHP.Russo 2006:146 McQueen Shell Ring - Late Archaic shell ring. Oemler (9CH14) - Late Archaic possible shell ring.Russo 2006:135 Osabaw 77 (9CH203) - Late Archaic possible shell ring.Russo 2006:143 Sapelo Island (9MC23) - Three Late Archaic shell rings, Sapelo 1 largely intact, Sapelo 2 heavily damaged, Sapelo 3 may represent either early stages in construction of a ring or a very heavily damaged ring.Russo 2006:88-93 Skidaway Island Odingsell (9CH111) - Late Archaic possible shell ring.Russo 2006:142 Large and Small Skidaway 9 (9CH63) Two shell rings, possibly pre-ceramic.Russo 2006:139 Skidaway 21 (9CH75) - Possible shell ring.Russo 2006:140 Skidaway (9CH77) - Late Archaic shell ring, highly modified.Russo 2006:141 West (9GN76) - Late Archaic shell ring.Russo 2006:87

Florida

Sea Islands Grand Shell Ring (8DU1) - Early St. Johns II culture (900-1250) shell ring associated with a sand mound, listed in NRHP. Oxeye (8DU7478) - Late Archaic shell ring.Russo 2006:96-97 One of the oldest shell rings in the Southeastern United States, aceramic. Rollins (8DU7510) - Late Archaic large shell ring with many smaller rings attached.Russo 2006:98-99

East Coast and St. Johns River valley Guana (8SJ2554) - Late Archaic shell ring.• Russo 2006:102-03 Joseph Reed (8MT13) - Late Archaic shell ring.Russo 2006:100-01 Silver Glen Run (8LA1) - Archaic U-shaped shell ring.

Southwest Bonita Bay (8LL716, 8LL717) - Shell ring with associated mound of uncertain date.Russo 2006:145-50 Chokoloskee - Possible shell ring with associated shell works, destroyed by development.Schwadron:154-56 Dismal Key - Two Glades culture shell rings with associated shell works.Schwadron:134, 280 Dismal Key Southeast Ring - Shell ring.Schwadron:165-68 Everglades City No. 7 - Two late Archaic/Glades culture shell rings.Schwadron:168-70, 280 Everglades City No. 9 - Two late Archaic shell rings.Schwadron:170-72, 280 Everglades City No. 10 - Two late Archaic shell rings.Schwadron:172-74, 280 Everglades City South Ring - Glades culture shell ring.Schwadron:280 Fakahatchee Key - Two Glades culture shell rings with associated shell works.Schwadron:130-31 Fakahatchee Key 3 - Shell ring.Schwadron:162-64 Hill Cottage (8SO2) - Late Archaic shell ring.Russo 2006:104-05• :Horr's Island archaeological site (8CR206, 8CR207, 8CR208, 8CR209, 8CR211) - Late Archaic shell ring with associated mounds.Russo 2006: 94-95 Key Marco - Possible Glades culture shell ring with associated shell works, destroyed by development.• Schwadron:149-52 Russell Key - Glades culture shell ring with associated shell works.Schwadron:140-41, 280 Sandfly Key - Two late Archaic/Glades culture shell rings with associated shell works.Schwadron:146-48, 280 Santina Horseshoe - Possible shell ring.Schwadron:122, 124 West Pass - Possible shell ring (crescent shaped midden) with associated shell works.Schwadron:159-62

Big Bend Coast Deer Island (8LV75) - Deptford culture.Monés, et al.iii. Komar Island (8LV290) - U-shaped ring.Sassaman, et al.:45 Richards Island (8LV137) - U-shaped ring, possible Deptford, SwiftCreek or Weeden Island connections.Sassaman, et al.:17. Raleigh Island - Multiple small rings, dated 900–1200.

Panhandle Primarily ring middens rather than shell rings. Bird Hammock - Swift Creek culture ring midden.Russo, Dengel & Shanks:122 Mound Field - Swift Creek culture ring midden.Russo, Dengel & Shanks:122 Snow Beach - Swift Creek culture ring midden.Russo, Dengel & Shanks:122 Harrison - Swift Creek culture ring midden.Russo, Dengel & Shanks:122 Hare Hammock - Swift Creek culture ring midden.Russo, Dengel & Shanks:122 Baker - Swift Creek culture ring midden.Russo, Dengel & Shanks:122 Strange's Ring Midden (8BY1355) - late Weeden Island culture period midden ring.Russo, Dengel & Shanks:122 Bayview - Swift Creek culture ring midden.Russo, Dengel & Shanks:122 Fox's Pond - Swift Creek culture ring midden.Russo, Dengel & Shanks:122 Bear Point - Santa Rosa-Swift Creek culture ring midden.Russo, Dengel & Shanks:122 Horseshoe Bayou - Santa Rosa-Swift Creek culture shell ring.Bense:258 Old Homestead - Santa Rosa-Swift Creek culture ring midden.Russo, Dengel & Shanks:122 Third Gulf Breeze - Santa Rosa-Swift Creek culture ring.Russo, Dengel & Shanks:122 Plantation Hill West - Santa Rosa-Swift Creek culture ring midden.Russo, Dengel & Shanks:122 Bernath - Santa Rosa-Swift Creek culture ring.Bense:262 ff.Russo, Dengel & Shanks:122 Buck Bayou (8WL90) - Late Archaic, possible shell ring, possible connections to Poverty Point.Russo 2006:153-54 Fourmile Point - Santa Rosa-Swift Creek culture ring.Bense:260 Gulf Breeze - Santa Rosa-Swift Creek culture ring. Hammock Point - Santa Rosa-Swift Creek culture ring. Meig's Pasture (8OK102) Late Archaic ring, but little shell.Russo 2006:151-52 Strange Bayou - Santa Rosa-Swift Creek culture ring.

Alabama :Indian Mound Park (Dauphin Island, Alabama) Mississippian period (1100 -1550) possible shell ring.

Mississippi Cedarland (22HC30) - Late Archaic shell ring with a number of differences compared to Atlantic coast rings.Russo 2006:155-56 Claiborne (22HC35) - Late Archaic shell ring with a number of differences compared to Atlantic coast rings.Russo 2006:157-58 Kinlock (22SU526) - Fresh water mussel shell C-shaped ring.

Citations

References