Late Paleoindian Archaeology

This report continues the author’s research on the location, status and artifact inventories of Paleoindian sites in Northern Alabama (c.f. Cole 2006) by providing a summary of the site data for Madison County, Alabama, and providing a comparison of the findings to that of neighboring Limestone County. Using data from private collections, the author seeks to answer three questions in this study. First, how can researchers use this data to identify high density sites prior to their impact? Second, how did Early Paleoindian groups choose their site locations, and finally, how can researchers identify how their foraging cycle may have looked?

This work has been made possible by the generous sharing of primary data by a number of researchers including site level provenience of Paleoindian artifact finds. These records have been added to the Alabama Paleoindian Point Survey and the Alabama State Site File so that future investigators can continue to study these important sites and artifacts.

People have had the moon’s number for a very long time. We figure the moon’s phases were counted by calendar priests in ancient Egypt and Mesopotamia at least 5000 years ago, and the unwritten record of prehistoric megaliths and symbolic carvings on monumental stones
has prompted some to speculate the builders of Stonehenge in southern England and Newgrange in Ireland also numbered the moon’s days. In fact, the late Alexander Marshack identifi ed “time-factored
notations” from the upper paleolithic in fragments of antler and bone. In The Roots of Civilization (1972), he argued these sequences of marks indicate lunar talllies. In 1982, American anthropologist W. Breen
Murray reported a large petroglyph panel at Presa de la Mula, in northeast Mexico, and interpreted its 24-cell grid of 207 “tally” marks as a count of seven cycles of the moon. The age of the carvings is
unknown, but through style they are associated with nomadic Archaic hunters and could be hundreds, if not thousands, of years old. Murray also analyzed tine counts of antler petroglyphs in the same desert
basins of northern Mexico and found they routinely exceed the number encountered on real antlers. Lunar numbers—7, 14, 15, 28—are common, but Murray speculated the month counts could reference
more than the moon and have something to do with biological cycles of the game.

In this issue, naturalist Bernie Taylor returns to the Griffiffith  Observer and explores detailed connections between lunar counts among traditional peoples and animal behavior. He last appeared in the August, 2006, issue with his 2005 Boeing writing contest article “Are There Geese on Cygnus 3?” He has written two books and hundreds of articles. In Biological Time (2004), he examined the relationship between the rhythms of plants and animals and the cyclical performances of the sun and moon. His work has generated high interest at biological conferences. Fish and game biologists are using his hypotheses to study and manage natural resources. Mr. Taylor has also spotlighted and analyzed archaeological evidence that suggests our ancient and prehistoric ancestors also understood the world and managed their access to its resources in terms of time measured and marked by the sun and the moon.

The Twin Bird Island site (16CD118), originally recorded by avocational archaeologists in 1979, is a multicomponent site located near Shreveport, Louisiana. Surface collection at the site yielded 32 Late Paleoindian and Early Archaic tools, including several varieties of San Patrice projectile points and Albany scrapers. Two fluted biface fragments from the site are inferred to be San Patrice preforms based on comparison with the reduction sequence proposed by Webb et al. (1971). Also collected from the site is the first documented prehistoric obsidian artifact from Louisiana. Microwear analysis of the artifacts in this collection was inconclusive for certain types of artifacts, like flake tools, but did provide evidence of use for curated tools, like Albany scrapers.

This essay addresses the contentious issue of collaboration between archaeologists and artifact collectors.  I argue that in many instances, alienating members of the collecting public is not just bad practice; such alienation itself violates the Society for American Archaeology's "Principles of Archaeological Ethics."  I make my case by first exploring SAA's ethical code. I focus initially on "stewardship" and "commercialization," which many cite as reasons for rejecting relationships with artifact collectors.  I then discuss others of SAA's principles that support the contention that archaeologists should actively reach out to citizens with private collections
whenever possible.

Second, I present a case study exploring what the Clovis
archaeological record might look like had archaeologists rejected the overtures of a century of collectors who brought Pleistocene finds to the attention of professionals.  Had practitioners accepted only those Clovis sites free of collector involvement, our understanding of Clovis lifeways would be quite different than it is today.  The essay has two messages. First, collectors can and have advanced archaeology by reaching out to archaeologists willing to reach back. Second our own code of ethics suggests that responsibly engaging artifact collectors is not just "okay," it is its own ethical imperative.

Nearly 11,100 years ago, a forty year-old man and a ten to eleven year-old girl were buried in a single, primary interment in a rock shelter located on the west bank of the Brazos River in Bosque County, Texas, 30 kilometers upstream from Waco.  This chapter explores the forms and possible functions of a remarkable assemblage of items recovered primarily with the adult.  Due to the near absence of durable items associated with her, the girl is addressed only briefly.  As an opportunity to learn more about the lives of Paleoamericans, we explore the following questions:  What do these items suggest about recurring activities of this man?  What insights can be gleaned from features of his anatomy that also bear on this subject?

First and foremost, James (Jim) Petersen is to be thanked for initiating this project, doing much of the original legwork of finding many portions of the collection, communicating with colleagues, commissioning the illustrations for many of the artifacts, getting me on board with the project and more generally for being such a wonderful friend and mentor. This paper is dedicated to him.

This report documents the results of Class III archeological survey of 134 acres for proposed mining project in the Star Lake area of McKinley County, New Mexico. Michael Meyer of Mineris Vitae, LLC contracted with the Office of Contract Archeology, University of New Mexico to perform the survey. The project area is located in Section 2, T19N, R6W of the Star Lake USGS Quadrangle, McKinley County, New Mexico. The survey resulted in the documentation of 22 sites and 23 isolated occurrences. The fieldwork was performed between March 5 th -15th, 2012. Of the 22 documented sites, four are recommended as eligible for the inclusion in the National Register of Historic Places, twelve are recommended as not eligible while the eligibility recommendation for the remaining seven is undetermined. v vi

In a recent American Antiquity forum (Pitblado 2014), I argued that not only is it possible for archaeologists to engage in ethical collaborations with members of the artifact-collecting public, but that the Society for American Archaeology’s “Principles of Archaeological Ethics” stipulates that we should do so. This is not a message, however, that has fully permeated the archaeological community, which has led to a schism between populations who are often natural allies. This paper starts with that premise: that archaeologists should actively pursue collaborations with the artifact-collecting community with the goal of advancing research agendas, public education, and long-term care of collections in private hands. The paper offers guidelines for establishing and nurturing professional-collector relationships in a way that furthers the directives of legal and ethical archaeological codes. I begin with an overview of the changing nature of professional-collector relationships during the twentieth century, exploring reasons for the divisiveness that has characterized recent decades. I next suggest five steps for establishing appropriate relationships with artifact collectors—and avoiding inappropriate ones. Finally, I describe how I followed those steps to establish a network of collector-collaborators to build the foundation for a Paleoamerican research program in southeastern Idaho and northern Utah.

Cet article présente les résultats de la recherche archéologique menée sur les occupations de la période paléoindienne récente dans la région de La Martre en Gaspésie. L'auteur décrit les assemblages des trois principaux sites qui ont fait l'objet de fouilles extensives et donne les résultats préliminaires des travaux réalisés sur trois sources de chert localisées à proximité de l'aire d'étude. Dans une perspective régionale, l'article discute la chronologie, la nature et la fonction des occupations, du mode de subsistance et des schèmes d'établissement des premiers occupants de la vallée de La Martre il y a 8 000 ans.

This paper presents an inventory of prehistoric rockshelter archaeological sites in western Pennsylvania as recorded in the Pennsylvania Archaeological Site Survey (PASS) files as of March 14, 2003. A total of 611 rockshelter sites were recorded in the 24 county study area. Patterns of usage and documentation are discussed, based upon information in the PASS files.

Early Paleoindians in North Alabama exploited resources using systematic techniques, yet the prediction of intact sites remains elusive. Analysis of the spatial distribution of fluted points, combined with raw material use, reveals that the densest sites focus on landforms that offer one or more secondary geographic features (resources). Findings suggest an affinity for drainage corridors with additional properties added during the foraging cycle, resulting in resource exploitation across watersheds in a circular pattern. It is hoped this study will assist in the early identification of intact sites for further research.

This thesis established the variability of Late Paleoindian bifacial stone tool assemblage from the Kruger 2 site. Kruger 2 is a basecamp occupied during the Pleistocene-Holocene transition in the Eastern Townships, Southern Quebec. The goal of this project is to quantify the variability observed in bifacial tools and to explain it. Geometrics Morphometrics and traditional attributed-base lithic analysis are used conjointly for this purpose. Geometrics Morphometrics are a set of methods that are used to distinguish groups based on their shape and to understand the differences between those groups. It is used to test the validity of the morpho-types used to classify bifacial tools found on Kruger 2 (bifaces, drills, Ste-Anne-Varney points, Agate Basin points, and other projectile points). In terms of explanation, the organization of technology postulates (sensu Nelson 1991) lies at the core of the research. The analysis involved defining the factors of biface shape variation and evaluating whether shape variation is caused primarily by raw material, function, tool life histories, or other design constraints. It was determined that all three of these factors contribute to shape differences. The data suggest that one of the primary factors are raw material availability and tool life histories – two factors intimately intertwined. In other words, it is the organization of technology that seems to be the driving explanatory force that accounts for shape variability.

Ushki sites complex (Central Kamchatka) is one of the most famous geoarchaeological objects in Northeast Asia. The article presents the results of trasological analysis of stone beads and pendants from Paleolithic burial of VIIth cultural layer of Ushki-I site. The ornaments are among the most ancient and widespread evidence of symbolic behavior in the region. Through the use of modern microscopic and photographic equipment the author found various categories of use-wear traces and traces of manufacture on them. Analysis of use-wear and experimental data allowed to identify a number of functional types of ancient personal ornaments and reconstruct the main stages of manufacturing. The first type of personal ornaments includes beads and one pendant that were used as components of necklaces, bracelets or amulets. Single beads for hanging on a string or strap represent the second type. The third type of personal ornaments (plaque to be sewed on clothes) includes a pendant with five holes. The technology of producing the ornaments consisted of such operations as primary abrasive finishing, drilling and polishing.

Late Paleoindian and Early Archaic subsistence behavior in the Western Great Lakes is an important research issue that has been hindered by a lack of zooarchaeological remains, as well as disagreements over the nature of the paleoenvironmental record and human foraging behavior. Prior reconstructions of early subsistence behavior have centered on a focused, big-game hunting strategy, despite very little solid evidence. Recently, two archaeological sites in northern Wisconsin containing Late Paleoindian faunal material have been excavated, the Deadman Slough site (47PR46) and the Sucices site (47DG11). The data from these sites, and similar recently discovered sites in northeastern North America, suggest that Late Paleoindian and Early Archaic peoples employed a generalized foraging strategy, utilizing a broad range of animal species from a wide array of environmental settings. This new archaeological evidence is utilized in conjunction with detailed paleoenvironmental data and infor...

This paper will examine the timing, extent, and the potential overlap of early Holocene archaeological complexes producing Late Paleoindian Agate Basin and St. Anne/Varney bifaces, quartz core unifaces (Early Maritime Archaic), and bifurcate-based Early Archaic bifaces across the Far Northeast. The author will argue the presented information calls into question the commonly accepted emergence, disappearance, and spatial extent of these complexes and some of their assumed cultural and technological origins.

Test excavations in 1997 at the Blezard II site (BaGn-71) in Plainville Valley south of Rice Lake, Ontario attempted to locate Late Paleo-Indian artifacts in a plough disturbed site context.  The location, on a small sandy knoll directly south of Plainville Stream, produced only a small assemblage of artifacts, with evidence for Late Paleo-Indian and later use, as well as presence of Upper Mercer chert typically found only on Early Paleo-Indian sites in this region.  In addition, plough zone excavations produced large quantities of fire-cracked rock, suggesting that cultural features had once been present prior to modern ploughing.
The Blezard II site had previously produced a large number of isolated projectile points of multiple time periods from surface collection of the southern sand ridge running parallel to Plainville Stream.

edited by Lawrence J. Jackson and Andrew Hinshelwood
Covers, Abstract, Preface, Dedication, Table of Contents

This volume of 13 articles dealing with Late Palaeo-Indian archaeological sites and environments in the Great Lakes region offers a detailed overview of this little understood time period.  ... The contributions included in this volume cover both cultural and historical aspects of this critical time in the Great Lakes region, as well as issues dealing with the dynamic nature of the landscape.

L.J. Jackson and Heather McKillop
An exploration of the 1952-1956 work of the National Museum of Canada at the Sheguiandah quartzite quarry site on Manitoulin Island as related by the editor of the Manitoulin Expositor, W.J. Patterson.  Questions of possible age of the site prior to the Late Palaeo-Indian period, as posed by anomalous geological contexts for some artifacts, were raised by the excavators under Thomas Lee.  More recent work by  Patrick Julig (2003) methodically resolved most of these questions and documented this quartzite quarry as used for thousands of years since the Late Palaeo-Indian period.

Review of literature for southwestern and south-central Ontario shows relatively few recent reports of Late Paleoindian projectiles.  This study describes eight new examples from the small interior Plainville Valley, directly south of Rice Lake in south-central Ontario where multi-year, intensive surface survey was carried out over a large area.

These gently expanding lanceolates have a very broad range,  from near Leamington in southwesternmost Ontario, north to Flesherton in the Ontario Island uplands, and east to Ancaster near Hamilton and Rice Lake in south-central Ontario.  An age circa 10,000-9,500 RCYBP is suggested.

We examine the current evidence for Late Paleoindian and Early Archaic occupation  in the Northern Rio Grande region, where very little research has been conducted for the time period between 9000 and 5000 B.P.  We present some of our preliminary findings on chronology, typology, technology, and material selection for artifacts recovered from Santa Fe, New Mexico to Creede, Colorado.  These data reveal some productive avenues for future research involving the Late Paleoindian and Early Archaic patterns of stone tool technology and land use strategies.

Despite flooding of thousands of square km of terminal Pleistocene Great Lakes shorelines  (Jackson and Ellis n.d.), there is increasing evidence of a complex sequence of late Paleoindian point types in southern Ontario.  These include Holcombe and Hi Lo (southern Huron margins and north shore of Lake Ontario), Agate Basin and Hell Gap (scattered distribution), Madina (mainly Simcoe Lowlands of south central Ontario) and Eden-Scottsbluff (Trent Waterway and east on the St. Lawrence).  The newly recognized "Plainville" type, named after two sites in Plainville Valley (Inner City Angels and Linton) occurs south of Rice Lake and elsewhere in south-central and southwestern Ontario.

This paper will examine several early Holocene archaeological complexes producing Late Paleoindian St. Anne/Varney bifaces, quartz core unifaces (Early Maritime Archaic), and bifurcate-based Early Archaic bifaces across the Far Northeast. Recent examinations by the authors have raised questions about the timing and spatial extent of some of these complexes and what the patterns or lack thereof suggest about the cultural and technological origins of the Native Americans producing them, their lifeways, and the potential of their coevally in portions of the Far Northeast.

Late Paleoindian bifacial technology is best understood within the context of local geology and the constraints posed by the raw material. Geological characteristics of the material influence fracture and thus not only methods of extraction but also of artefact reduction. Theses natural constraints completely eliminate certain technological choices and oblige the flintknapper to apply certain gestures (gestes). Understanding the geological context present at the raw material source thus becomes a critical factor in understanding the organization of Late Paleoindian lithic technology.

The study of archaeological collections from the Ushki-I site, Layer VI (Kamchatka) made it possible to detect more than 200 items related to the production and use of pieces with burin facets. The following groups can be identified: burins on retouched truncation (lateral, diagonal and transverse), angle burins, double burins, and multiple ones. In most cases, the spall platforms were prepared by retouch. The basic knapping method was pressure technique. The number of burin spalls detached from the same flaking surface varies from two to nine. The use of pressure technique allowed a high level of regularity and standardization of the production process, with burin spalls having predetermined morpho- logical characteristics. As a result of experimental and use-wear studies 30 pieces with burin spalls have been identified as inserts for planing and drawing knives used to work solid organic materials. The character of wear traces together with the size of tools and the presence of numerous spalls of previous burin blows testify that these tools were used repeatedly over a long period of time.

В результате анализа коллекции VI слоя стоянки Ушки-I (Камчатка) нами выявлено свыше 200 предметов, связанных с технологическим контекстом производства и использования изделий с резцовыми сколами. Выделены варианты одинарных ретушных (боковых, диагональных, поперечных), угловых, двойных и комбинированных резцов. В большинстве случаев площадкой для нанесения резцового скола служила подготовленная ретушированная поверхность, основной техникой скола являлся отжим. Снятие резцовых сколов с одной и той же плоскости скалывания могло осуществляться от двух до девяти раз.  Использование отжимной техники позволяло добиваться высокого уровня регулярности и стандартизации в получении резцового негатива заданных морфологических параметров. Результаты экспериментально-трасологического иссле-дования 30 изделий с резцовыми сколами позволило идентифицировать их в качестве вкладышей строгальных ножей и скобелей по твердым органическим материалам. Характер следов износа, размеры изделий и многочисленные следы предыдущих резцовых снятий указывают на длительное использование изучаемых инструментов в работе.

This 1986 report summarizes conservation licence work in the County of Northumberland in 1986.  Two geographic areas were investigated, Plainville Valley directly south of the western Rice Lake basin, and the environs of the Ganaraska River just north of the Town of Port Hope and Lake Ontario.  Significant results of the Plainville Valley work included the first test excavation work at the Halstead site (BaGn-65), a major Gainey phase Early Palaeo-Indian site, exploration of the Marshman site (BaGn-81) a probable Gainey phase site, and testing of the Inner City Angels site (BaGn-76) where the first projectile point of Late Palaeo-Indian Plainville type was discovered.  The Ganaraska River work identified several new sites, including one with Archaic period Broad points.

This research report, filed in the Ontario Public Register of Archaeological Reports, describes 2016 and 2017 excavations at the Linton Spring site, a multi-component site in Northumberland County, south-central Ontario.  Overlapping campsites of Early Palaeo-Indian, Early and Middle Archaic, small point Archaic, and Middle Woodland periods were localized on the northeast side of a large interior wetland and pond near a natural artesian spring.  The wetland showed significant edge terracing documenting a high stage at an unknown time period.  Although historic ploughing had destroyed all subsoil features at the site, there were a large number of diagnostics, principally projectile points, and faunal remains identifying this as a significant hunting locality over many millenia.  The most unique artifact at the site was a Parkhill phase Early Palaeo-Indian preform of a Barnes fluted point.

This article presents a summary of the Late Paleoindian component at the Hidden Creek site (72-163), including site geology, paleo-environmental reconstruction, artifact counts, descriptions of artifact attributes and spatial patterning. Preliminary analysis of the debitagefrom this site is also discussed. Temporally diagnostic attributes of the lithic artifacts place the Hidden Creek site at the end of the Paleoindian tradition. It is demonstrated that the fluted point knapping technology continued to be used, apparently into the early Holocene, to produce non-fluted, lanceolate projectile points. The southeastern location of this site in the Northeast distinguishes it from most comparable sites in the region.