A recent publication on directly dated basketry specimens from the western United States (Berger ... more A recent publication on directly dated basketry specimens from the western United States (Berger et al. 1998, Radiocarbon 40(2):615–20) contained some misleading information, and in a few cases discussed radiocarbon ages from unacknowledged sources. We provide the missing original citations along with some clarifications. We focus especially on the age of distinctive Fort Rock and Multiple Warp–style sandals, for which we provide additional previously unreported 14C ages. Direct dates on fibers from Fort Rock sandals from 3 different sites range in age from 10,500 cal BP to about 9200 cal BP. Contextual evidence suggests that Multiple Warp sandals may date as early as 6600 cal BP, but the few directly dated specimens are less than 1000 yr old.
One of the principal ways that researchers date archaeological sites is by using temporally diagn... more One of the principal ways that researchers date archaeological sites is by using temporally diagnostic projectile points as index fossils; however, this practice has not been widely employed to date rock art sites. We use this approach here to test the hypothesis that the Great Basin Carved Abstract (GBCA) petroglyph style found in the northern Great Basin was produced by Paleoindians. Using frequencies of projectile points at 55 GBCA sites, we demonstrate that Paleoindian points are significantly overrepresented there relative to their occurrence on the general landscape, providing evidence that Great Basin populations produced rock art sometime during the Terminal Pleistocene/Early Holocene (TP/EH), w12,500e8000 radiocarbon years ago. Additionally, we examine several environmental variables at GBCA sites and propose a model of Paleoindian land-use in the northern Great Basin that highlights seasonal visits to uplands to procure geophytes (i.e., root crops).
Journal of California and Great Basin Anthropology, 2016
Author(s): Connolly, Thomas J.; Jew, Nicholas P.; Swisher, Mark E.; Cannon, William J.; Sullivan,... more Author(s): Connolly, Thomas J.; Jew, Nicholas P.; Swisher, Mark E.; Cannon, William J.; Sullivan, Kelsey J.; Waller, Michel | Abstract: Rattlesnake Cave is located on the western shore of Lake Abert in the northern Great Basin of southeast Oregon, one of hundreds of archaeological sites in the Lake Abert/Chewaucan Basin. The site was dug by collectors in the 1950s, and recovered materials were donated to the Fort Rock Valley Historical Society and Homestead Museum in the early 1990s. We analyze 77 artifacts in the assemblage, which includes cordage, basketry, moccasins, as well as wood, bone, and stone tools. We report new radiocarbon (14C) dates for the site, and the results of energy dispersive x-ray fluorescence (EDXRF) on one basalt and nine obsidian bifaces, matching their chemical signatures to regional geologic sources. We discuss the place of Rattlesnake Cave in the broader context of the northern Great Basin while demonstrating how museum collections may contribute to addre...
A recent publication on directly dated basketry specimens from the western United States (Berger ... more A recent publication on directly dated basketry specimens from the western United States (Berger et al. 1998, Radiocarbon 40(2):615–20) contained some misleading information, and in a few cases discussed radiocarbon ages from unacknowledged sources. We provide the missing original citations along with some clarifications. We focus especially on the age of distinctive Fort Rock and Multiple Warp–style sandals, for which we provide additional previously unreported 14C ages. Direct dates on fibers from Fort Rock sandals from 3 different sites range in age from 10,500 cal BP to about 9200 cal BP. Contextual evidence suggests that Multiple Warp sandals may date as early as 6600 cal BP, but the few directly dated specimens are less than 1000 yr old.
One of the principal ways that researchers date archaeological sites is by using temporally diagn... more One of the principal ways that researchers date archaeological sites is by using temporally diagnostic projectile points as index fossils; however, this practice has not been widely employed to date rock art sites. We use this approach here to test the hypothesis that the Great Basin Carved Abstract (GBCA) petroglyph style found in the northern Great Basin was produced by Paleoindians. Using frequencies of projectile points at 55 GBCA sites, we demonstrate that Paleoindian points are significantly overrepresented there relative to their occurrence on the general landscape, providing evidence that Great Basin populations produced rock art sometime during the Terminal Pleistocene/Early Holocene (TP/EH), w12,500e8000 radiocarbon years ago. Additionally, we examine several environmental variables at GBCA sites and propose a model of Paleoindian land-use in the northern Great Basin that highlights seasonal visits to uplands to procure geophytes (i.e., root crops).
Journal of California and Great Basin Anthropology, 2016
Author(s): Connolly, Thomas J.; Jew, Nicholas P.; Swisher, Mark E.; Cannon, William J.; Sullivan,... more Author(s): Connolly, Thomas J.; Jew, Nicholas P.; Swisher, Mark E.; Cannon, William J.; Sullivan, Kelsey J.; Waller, Michel | Abstract: Rattlesnake Cave is located on the western shore of Lake Abert in the northern Great Basin of southeast Oregon, one of hundreds of archaeological sites in the Lake Abert/Chewaucan Basin. The site was dug by collectors in the 1950s, and recovered materials were donated to the Fort Rock Valley Historical Society and Homestead Museum in the early 1990s. We analyze 77 artifacts in the assemblage, which includes cordage, basketry, moccasins, as well as wood, bone, and stone tools. We report new radiocarbon (14C) dates for the site, and the results of energy dispersive x-ray fluorescence (EDXRF) on one basalt and nine obsidian bifaces, matching their chemical signatures to regional geologic sources. We discuss the place of Rattlesnake Cave in the broader context of the northern Great Basin while demonstrating how museum collections may contribute to addre...
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