Papers by Kathryn Krasinski
HAL (Le Centre pour la Communication Scientifique Directe), 2015
International audienc
Le Centre pour la Communication Scientifique Directe - HAL - memSIC, 2015
Le Centre pour la Communication Scientifique Directe - HAL - Université Paris Descartes, 2014
Science Advances
Hamley et al . previously presented multiple lines of evidence that people were present in the Fa... more Hamley et al . previously presented multiple lines of evidence that people were present in the Falkland Islands before Europeans and may have brought the now-extinct canid, Dusicyon australis . Stable isotope data reported by Clark et al . indicate that D. australis had a high-trophic, marine diet that terrestrialized following European arrival. This is consistent with our hypothesis of a human mutualism.
PLOS ONE
By 13,000 BP human populations were present across North America, but the exact date of arrival t... more By 13,000 BP human populations were present across North America, but the exact date of arrival to the continent, especially areas south of the continental ice sheets, remains unclear. Here we examine patterns in the stratigraphic integrity of early North American sites to gain insight into the timing of first colonization. We begin by modeling stratigraphic mixing of multicomponent archaeological sites to identify signatures of stratigraphic integrity in vertical artifact distributions. From those simulations, we develop a statistic we call the Apparent Stratigraphic Integrity Index (ASI), which we apply to pre- and post-13,000 BP archaeological sites north and south of the continental ice sheets. We find that multiple early Beringian sites dating between 13,000 and 14,200 BP show excellent stratigraphic integrity. Clear signs of discrete and minimally disturbed archaeological components do not appear south of the ice sheets until the Clovis period. These results provide support fo...
Le Centre pour la Communication Scientifique Directe - HAL - Université Paris Descartes, Oct 1, 2014
Environmental Archaeology, 2022
Ancient hair and remnant plant DNA are important environmental proxies that preserve for millenni... more Ancient hair and remnant plant DNA are important environmental proxies that preserve for millennia in specific archaeological contexts. However, recovery has been rare from late Pleistocene sites and more may be found if deliberately sought. Once discovered, singular hair fragments are not easily identified to taxa through comparative analyses and environmental DNA (eDNA) extraction can be difficult depending on preservation or contamination. In this paper, we present our methods for the combined recovery of ancient hair specimens and eDNA from sediments to improve our understanding of late Pleistocene environments from the Holzman site along Shaw Creek in interior Alaska. The approach serves as a useful case study for learning more about local environmental changes.
Arctic Anthropology, 2020
Recent reanalysis of material excavated from the Bluefish Caves, Yukon Territory claims to have i... more Recent reanalysis of material excavated from the Bluefish Caves, Yukon Territory claims to have identified culturally modified bone dating to 24,000 cal. BP, thereby providing evidence for continuous human occupation of eastern Beringia from the Last Glacial Maximum. However, the recent research largely ignores the history of criticisms of the site and leaves outstanding questions about the site context, associations of lithic artifacts and Last Glacial Maximum radiocarbon dates, and the impact of natural processes on the faunal assemblage, and therefore, how the site fits into the broader Beringian archaeological record. This paper critically analyzes the archaeological record from Bluefish Caves by focusing on evidence for significantly disturbed archaeological contexts and alteration of bone by nonanthropogenic processes. We offer alternative hypotheses explaining the archaeological record at Bluefish Caves based on published data that were not considered in the recent reanalysis. These alternative hypotheses must be addressed before Bluefish Caves can be considered evidence for a Last Glacial Maximum occupation of Beringia. Bluefish Caves remains provocative but unconvincing archaeological evidence for the Beringian Standstill supported by genetic data.
The recently discovered Holzman site lies along the west bank of Shaw Creek, a northern tributary... more The recently discovered Holzman site lies along the west bank of Shaw Creek, a northern tributary of the Tanana River, Interior Alaska. Recent excavations revealed an expedient stone technology alongside large mammal remains, including a mammoth tusk in deeply buried deposits. Evidence of food preparation, camp fires, and ivory tool manufacture dated at least to 13,500 cal BP (non-ivory dates) make Holzman one of the earliest in the Americas. The discovery contributes to a growing body of evidence suggesting the peopling of the Americas occurred via an interior migration through eastern Beringia.
Researchers have explored how hearths were used and the composition of fuel to understand cultura... more Researchers have explored how hearths were used and the composition of fuel to understand cultural differences and environmental adaptations. However, scant research has been conducted to understand and document methods for producing fires. Given the long-lasting durability of stone, the stone-on-stone method for producing fire with a strike-a-light will survive for thousands of years in the archaeological record; hence it is important to recognize and document these tools. This paper will present an artifact used as a strike-a-light for producing fire in the subarctic region of interior Alaska (middle Tanana Valley) some 5,500 years ago. The strike-a-light recognized at Goodpaster-IV is, to our knowledge, the most ancient example currently known in the American Subarctic. By reviewing the current state of research on European strike-a-lights from the French Mesolithic and Neolithic and describing use-wear analysis of the strike-a-light, we demonstrate important characteristics that...
Science Advances, 2021
Interdisciplinary evidence indicates human activity in the Falkland Islands before European explo... more Interdisciplinary evidence indicates human activity in the Falkland Islands before European exploration of the South Atlantic.
Journal of Archaeological Method and Theory, 2020
Reliable methods are needed to distinguish anthropogenic from non-anthropogenic causes of probosc... more Reliable methods are needed to distinguish anthropogenic from non-anthropogenic causes of proboscidean limb bone breakage in fossil assemblages because of theoretical uncertainty about human-proboscidean relationships in the Pleistocene. This paper compares experimentally broken bones of African elephants (Loxodonta africana) and mammoths (Mammuthus spp.) after establishing that limb bone fracture dynamics are the same for those proboscidean taxa. We show that features thought exclusively diagnostic of percussive fracturing of green proboscidean long bones such as notched fracture edges, smooth fracture surfaces, and curvilinear fracture outlines also can be created on non-green bones and on bones affected by non-anthropogenic processes. The information reported here can be applied in analyses or re-analyses of fossil proboscidean bone assemblages and may either support or potentially alter current interpretations of hominin behavior.
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Papers by Kathryn Krasinski