The Folsom (Paleoindian) Type Site: Past Investigations, Current Studies

2002 ◽  
Vol 67 (1) ◽  
pp. 5-36 ◽  
Author(s):  
David J. Meltzer ◽  
Lawrence C. Todd ◽  
Vance T. Holliday
Keyword(s):  
Faunal Remains ◽  
Radiocarbon Dates ◽  
Projectile Points ◽  
Fine Grained ◽  
Lithic Assemblage ◽  
Wild Horse ◽  
Field Investigations ◽  
Type Site ◽  
High Utility ◽  
Cultural Origins

Research on the Folsom Paleoindian type site, involving renewed field investigations and an analysis of extant collections from the 1920s excavations, was undertaken between 1997 and 2000. The preliminary results of that research show that all excavations to date have been in the kill area, which took place in a small and relatively shallow tributary to the Pleistocene paleovalley of Wild Horse Arroyo as well as in the paleovalley itself. Preliminary butchering of ∼32 Bison antiquus took place near where the animals were dropped. The kill area is dominated by low-utility bone elements and broken projectile points; high-utility bones and tools for processing meat and hides are rare or absent, and either occur in another, as-yet undiscovered area of the site, or altogether off-site. Faunal remains are generally in excellent condition. Those in the tributary are mostly in primary context, and underwent rapid burial beneath fine-grained (dominantly aeolian) sediments, which in turn were subsequently armored by a shingle shale; those in the paleovalley experienced postdepositional transport and redeposition. The small lithic assemblage is dominated by projectile points and comprised of material mostly from two sources in the Texas panhandle, several hundred kilometers southeast of the site. It also includes stone obtained from sources at comparable distances north and northwest of the site. A series of radiocarbon ages is available for the stratigraphic units, nearly all from charcoal of non-cultural origins; radiocarbon dates on bison bone put the age of the kill at 10,500 B.P.

scholarly journals New Data on the Mesolithic of the Southern Angara Region (Based on Materials of the Priyut Sukacheva 2 Site)

2019 ◽  
Vol 29 ◽  
pp. 3-24
Author(s):  
I. M. Berdnikov ◽  
◽  
N. E. Berdnikova ◽  
I. V. Ulanov ◽  
K. A. Krutikova ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Middle Ages ◽  
Raw Materials ◽  
Detailed Comparison ◽  
Faunal Remains ◽  
Economic Activities ◽  
Radiocarbon Dates ◽  
Lithic Assemblage ◽  
Archaeological Materials ◽  
Stratigraphic Position ◽  
Stone Industry

The results of archaeological works carried out in 2017 at the Priyut Sukacheva 2 site (Irkutsk) and analysis of the Mesolithic stone industry are presented. During the excavation, we uncovered the Pleistocene and Holocene deposits and identified two cultural layers. Mixed and poorly informative materials were found in the 1th layer, which is dated, in accordance with the ceramics, to a wide period from Neolithic to the Middle Ages. The most interesting finds of this layer are a flint zoomorphic figurine and a sandstone bait fish. The most representative is the collection of the 2nd layer. Three fireplaces made of pebbles were found here, which were severely destroyed because of cryogenic processes at the end of the Early – beginning of the Middle Holocene. The collection includes almost 6 thousand finds, among which were noted: debitage, cores and precors, end-scrapers (the most numerous category), incisors, borers, points, combined and notched tools, abrasive tools, preforms of tools, a knife, a side-scraper, pebbles and pieces of rock. The collection also consist of a few faunal remains (Equus ferus, Cervidae and ungulates). According to the specificity of lithic assemblage and the presence of large fireplaces, we can assume that there was a short-term settlement of hunter-gatherers. Here, the primary stone knapping was carried out, that indicated by the finds of cores, precors, flakes, and pieces of rock. Along with this, intensive economic activities were carried out, which was probably associated with various works on skin dressing, processing bone and wood. Despite of the lack of radiocarbon dates, the lithic assemblage of the 2nd layer is sufficiently expressive for a detailed comparison with materials from other sites. As a result of the collection analysis, the greatest similarity with the Late Mesolithic complexes of the Lisikha site, located on the opposite bank of Angara river, was found. Both sites have a similarity in the preferences of the inhabitants in the choice of raw materials (mudstone), the shape of cores and tools, and the stratigraphic position of the archaeological materials. Taking into account all the data, the age of complexes from the 2nd layer at the Priyut Sukacheva 2 site should be determined by the Final Mesolithic (~9.5–8.5 ka cal BP). The results of stratigraphic analysis do not contradict these conclusions.

The Hayes Tephra Deposits, and Upper Holocene Marker Horizon in South-Central Alaska

1990 ◽  
Vol 33 (3) ◽  
pp. 276-290 ◽  
Author(s):  
James R. Riehle ◽  
Peter M. Bowers ◽  
Thomas A. Ager
Keyword(s):  
Cook Inlet ◽  
Radiocarbon Dates ◽  
Fine Grained ◽  
South Central ◽  
Inlet Region ◽  
Tephra Deposits ◽  
Phenocryst Content

AbstractThe most widespread of all Holocene tephra deposits in the Cook Inlet region of south-central Alaska is a set of deposits from Hayes volcano. Because of their unique phenocryst content—biotite in rare amounts and a high proportion of amphibole to pyroxene—the deposits are readily identifiable at all but the most distant sites where they are very fine grained. Eighteen radiocarbon dates from eight upland sites limit the age of the tephra set to between about 3500 and 3800 yr. The set originated at Hayes volcano in the Tordrillo Mountains 150 km northwest of Anchorage; seven or possibly eight closely succeeding deposits, low-silica dacite in composition, compose two main lobes that extend northeast for 400 km and south for at least 250 km from the vent. We estimate the total tephra volume to be 10 km3; multiple layers imply four to six larger and two or three smaller eruptions. The deposits are a nearly isochronous marker horizon that should be useful in future archeologic, geologic, and palynologic studies in the region.

Points in Time: Direct Radiocarbon Dates on Great Basin Projectile Points

2013 ◽  
Vol 78 (3) ◽  
pp. 580-594 ◽  
Author(s):  
Geoffrey M. Smith ◽  
Pat Barker ◽  
Eugene M. Hattori ◽  
Anan Raymond ◽  
Ted Goebel
Keyword(s):  
Great Basin ◽  
Archaeological Sites ◽  
Projectile Point ◽  
Radiocarbon Dates ◽  
Projectile Points ◽  
Primary Means ◽  
Point Types ◽  
Cross Dating ◽  
Age Estimates

AbstractTypological cross-dating is the primary means by which archaeological sites are placed into chronological frameworks. This approach relies on the assumption that artifacts at undated sites—usually projectile points—are coeval with similar artifacts found at Other, dated sites. While typological cross-dating is necessary in regions dominated by open-air lithic scatters, the approach can be problematic when undated and dated sites are separated by significant distances. Here, we present radiocarbon dates on projectile points with organic hafting material still attached or found within organic storage bags. Our results provide unequivocal ages for various morphological projectile point types at several Great Basin locales and should be useful to researchers seeking local age estimates for those point types, which often involves relying on chronological data from more distant sites. The results also highlight potential issues with uncritically applying typological cross-dating using typologies based on metric attributes, and in two cases, suggest the need to revise the age ranges for certain point styles in the western Great Basin.

scholarly journals Mesolithic and later activity at North Barr River, Morvern

2019 ◽  
Vol 84 ◽  
pp. 1-27
Author(s):  
Gavin MacGregor ◽  
Alistair Beckett ◽  
Ann Clarke ◽  
Nyree Finlay ◽  
David Sneddon ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Raw Materials ◽  
Regional Networks ◽  
Radiocarbon Dates ◽  
Chipped Stone ◽  
Lithic Assemblage ◽  
Forestry Commission

At North Barr River, Morvern, inspection of forestry planting mounds on a raised beach terrace identified a chipped stone assemblage associated with upcast deposits containing charcoal. An archaeological evaluation of the site, funded by Forestry Commission Scotland, sought to better understand the extent and character of this Mesolithic and later prehistoric lithic scatter. The lithic assemblage is predominantly debitage with some microliths and scrapers. The range of raw materials including flint, Rùm bloodstone and baked mudstone highlights wider regional networks. Other elements, including a barbed and tanged arrowhead, belong to later depositional episodes. Two mid-second millennium bc radiocarbon dates were obtained from soil associated with some lithics recovered from a mixed soil beneath colluvial deposits. The chronology of a putative stone bank or revetment is uncertain but the arrangement of stone may also date to the second millennium bc.

Subsurface sediment profiles below Point Pelee: indicators of postglacial evolution in western Lake Erie

1998 ◽  
Vol 35 (1) ◽  
pp. 88-99
Author(s):  
John P Coakley ◽  
Allan S Crowe ◽  
Patrice A Huddart
Keyword(s):  
Lake Levels ◽  
Dune Sand ◽  
Radiocarbon Dates ◽  
Subsurface Sediment ◽  
Fine Grained ◽  
Western Lake ◽  
Planar Wave ◽  
Point Pelee ◽  
Sediment Data ◽  
Point Pelee National Park

An extensive drilling program, undertaken along the western barrier bar at Point Pelee National Park, Ontario, Canada, yielded considerable subsurface sediment data relevant to the nature and lateral geometry of sedimentary units below the Point Pelee foreland. Four major sedimentary units were identified: a basal clay-rich till, a fine-grained glaciolacustrine sand, a medium-grained sand unit (subdivided into a poorly sorted shoreface sand and an aeolian (dune) sand derived from the shoreface sand), and an organic marsh (gyttja) deposit. The present study confirms the existence of a planar, wave-eroded till surface below the southern portion of Point Pelee at an elevation of approximately 164 m asl. Following this low-water period in the basin, lake levels rose abruptly to an elevation several metres above 172 m asl. This resulted in erosion of the upper part of the glaciolacustrine sand during a later period of stable higher lake levels, perhaps coinciding with the Nipissing flood event (about 4000 BP). This resulted in a planar surface at approximately 169.5 m asl. Several radiocarbon dates on basal gyttja from the marsh (averaging 3200 BP) reflect a subsequent drop in levels to about 2-3 m below present levels. Though undated, the initiation of shoreface and dune sand deposition is roughly coeval with the basal marsh deposits.

Radiocarbon Dates from an Early Archaic Deposit in Russell Cave, Alabama

1957 ◽  
Vol 23 (1) ◽  
pp. 84-84
Author(s):  
Carl F. Miller
Keyword(s):  
Radiocarbon Dates ◽  
Large Sample ◽  
Jackson County ◽  
Projectile Points ◽  
Early Archaic

During recent excavations in the archaeological deposits in Russell Cave, Jackson County, Alabama (Miller 1956), we reached a depth of 13 feet. From this level we collected a large sample of charcoal found in association with chert projectile points whose shape suggests a placement at the end of paleo-Indian times and the beginning of early Archaic times.

Renewed investigations at the Folsom Palaeoindian type site

Antiquity ◽  
2000 ◽  
Vol 74 (283) ◽  
pp. 35-36
Author(s):  
David J. Meltzer
Keyword(s):  
New Mexico ◽  
Natural History ◽  
New World ◽  
Projectile Point ◽  
Projectile Points ◽  
Type Site ◽  
Bison Antiquus ◽  
Museum Display

The Folsom site (New Mexico, USA) is justly famous as the place where in 1927 four decades of sometimes bitter controversy came to an end, when it was finally demonstrated humans had been in the New World since the Pleistocene (Meltzer 1993). Folsom became the type site for the Palaeoindian period and distinctive fluted projectile point that bears its name (see Hofman 1999). Yet, as the excavations done in the 1920s by the Colorado (now Denver) and American Museums of Natural History focused initially on the recovery of Bison antiquus skeletons suitable for museum display, and latterly on documenting the association of projectile points with those bison remains, many fundamental questions of interest about the site’s stratigraphic, environmental and archaeological context were left unanswered (and often not asked).

Radiocarbon Dating the Iroquoian Occupation of Northern New York

2019 ◽  
Vol 84 (4) ◽  
pp. 748-761 ◽  
Author(s):  
Timothy J. Abel ◽  
Jessica L. Vavrasek ◽  
John P. Hart
Keyword(s):  
New York ◽  
Population Growth ◽  
Bayesian Analysis ◽  
High Precision ◽  
Radiocarbon Dating ◽  
Faunal Remains ◽  
Radiocarbon Dates

The results of Bayesian analysis using 43 new high-precision AMS radiocarbon dates on maize, faunal remains, and ceramic residues from 18 precontact Iroquoian village sites in Northern New York are presented. Once thought to span AD 1350–1500, the period of occupation suggested by the modeling is approximately AD 1450–1510. This late placement now makes clear that Iroquoians arrived in the region approximately 100 years later than previously thought. This result halves the time in which population growth and significant changes in settlement occurred. The new chronology allows us to better match these events within a broader Northeast temporal framework.

Pieces in vertical movement—a model for rockshelter archaeology

1977 ◽  
Vol 43 ◽  
pp. 349-353 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ari Siiriäinen
Keyword(s):  
Vertical Movement ◽  
Stone Age ◽  
Radiocarbon Dates ◽  
Fine Grained ◽  
Late Stone Age ◽  
Vertical Scale ◽  
Small Stone ◽  
Image Position

In 1973, excavations were carried out in a rockshelter called River Rockshelter in Laikipia District, Kenya (the results will be published in AZANIA). The archaeological deposit was c 80 cm thick and contained an abundant lithic material belonging to a Late Stone Age industry. The deposit was excavated in seven layers each 5–15 cm thick. The stratigraphy was as follows (fig. 1):1. 0–10 cm, brown, loose fine-grained earth;2. 10–35 cm, brown, hard, medium-grained soil with stone slabs;3. 35–50 cm, greyish brown, hard gravel with small stone slabs;4. 50 cm + grey, hard gravel.Stratigraphical layers, radiocarbon dates and excavated layers from River Rockshelter. Vertical scale 1/10.

Fish Otoliths as Indicators of Seasonality in Prehistoric Shell Middens: the Evidence from Oronsay (Inner Hebrides)

1980 ◽  
Vol 46 ◽  
pp. 19-44 ◽  
Author(s):  
P. A. Mellars ◽  
M. R. Wilkinson ◽  
N. R. J. Fieller
Keyword(s):  
Single Species ◽  
Fish Bone ◽  
Faunal Remains ◽  
Economic Activities ◽  
Radiocarbon Dates ◽  
Large Numbers ◽  
Species Analysis ◽  
Wide Range ◽  
Total Fish ◽  
Chief Interest

The samples to be discussed in this paper derive from a series of late Mesolithic shell-midden sites on the island of Oronsay in the Inner Hebrides. Despite the small size of the island (less than six square kilometres) at least six separate middens have now been identified on Oronsay, of which all except one are located along the south-east-facing coast of the island (fig. 1). Radiocarbon dates ranging from 3695 ± 80 to 3200 ± 380 bc have been obtained on samples of charcoal from the middens, and point to a considerable measure of chronological overlap in the occupation of the different sites (Mellars 1978).Archaeologically, the chief interest of these sites lies in the excellent conditions for the preservation of faunal remains, which provides a unique insight into the economic activities of coastal-living groups shortly before the appearance of formally ‘Neolithic’ communities in northern Britain. In addition to a wide range of molluscan, mammalian and bird remains, the sites have yielded exceptionally large numbers of fish bones. While the total range of fish exploited from the sites is impressive (comprising at least 12 species), analysis has shown that by far the major emphasis in the fishing activities was placed on the exploitation of a single species—the saithe or coalfish (Pollachius virens L.). In all the samples so far analysed this species accounts for at least 95 per cent of the total fish-bone material, and in many of the samples it is the only species represented.

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