What was "Fremont"? Advances in the Explanation and Archaeological Understanding of the Fremont Regional System

DOCUMENT Citation Only Lindsay Johansson. Katie Richards.

Like every archaeological region, current views concerning Fremont are influenced as much by the history of archaeologists as it is by the archaeology itself. This paper presents a (very brief) history of Fremont archaeology and archaeological thought, focusing on how particular developments and individuals influenced how Fremont was understood. Our aim is not to be comprehensive, and we will undoubtedly omit important events and information, including contributions of many in attendance. Our...

DOCUMENT Citation Only Shannon Boomgarden.

This paper examines the economic trade-offs between dry farming maize vs. maize farming using simple surface irrigation for Fremont farmers occupying Range Creek Canyon, Utah, from AD 900 to 1200. A maize farming experiment was conducted focusing on changes in edible grain yield as irrigation water was varied between farm plots. The benefits of irrigation were clear; higher yields. Experiments designed to construct irrigation ditches and dams, using only technology available to the Fremont,...

DOCUMENT Citation Only Jody Patterson.

Fundamental issues regarding the interaction of the formative inhabitants of Nine Mile Canyon with their neighbors in Castle Valley and the Uinta Basin relate to temporally distinct changes identified in the canyon’s archaeological record. Arguments pertaining to changes in land use patterns, artifact assemblages, and the development of seemingly defensive structures hinge on connecting distinct material cultural characteristics with chronometric data to develop a first approximation of shifting...

DOCUMENT Citation Only David Yoder.

Anyone interested in the ‘Fremont’ knows of Fremont figurines; small figures that range from exquisitely crafted works of art to cruddy little lumps of clay with eyes. Despite years of interest, archaeologists still know relatively little about this phenomenon. But fear not intrepid Fremont enthusiast! After examining nearly every Fremont figurine described in the literature, hidden in museum basements, and even a few from super-secret private collections, I have ALL the answers! Come learn how...

DOCUMENT Citation Only Aaron Woods. Ryan Harrod.

Many existing studies of Fremont mortuary data have been limited to documenting the location of burials, the presence or absence of burial goods, and the position of the remains. Furthermore, much of the analyses of Fremont human skeletal remains have focused almost exclusively on population-level comparisons or evidence of extreme violence. Current bioarchaeological methods have expanded the type of questions that researchers can ask. Equipped with hypotheses influenced by social theory, it is...

DOCUMENT Citation Only Lane Richens. Richard Talbot. Scott Ure.

Prehistoric travel routes were conduits of knowledge, goods, and people. Within regional systems they facilitated social integration and identity maintenance. This was true for Late Fremont period groups, who primarily occupied the rich river valleys of the northern Colorado Plateau and eastern Great Basin but who also spread across this vast region in smaller settlements. This paper focuses on identifying possible travel routes within the Late Fremont regional system. We consider how these...

DOCUMENT Citation Only Mike Cannon. Lisa Krussow.

Marked variability in subsistence strategies has been noted throughout the Fremont archaeological culture. Previously, we have explored such variability by using data on baseline environmental productivity, zooarchaeological evidence for resource depression, and archaeological measures of the importance of agriculture to test the hypothesis that agricultural investment among the Fremont varied inversely with local environmental productivity. Data from throughout the Fremont region are consistent...

DOCUMENT Citation Only James Allison.

The dating of Fremont sites is based almost entirely on radiocarbon dates. A large number of dates exist from the region as a whole, but many of the largest Fremont sites are poorly dated. Most of the important sites excavated prior to the 1980s have at best a few dates, and many of the dates that do exist are on charcoal from structural wood. In some cases the only available dates are clearly centuries too early for the sites and structures they purport to date. In addition to problems with the...

DOCUMENT Citation Only Katie Richards. Lindsay Johansson.

The meaning of the term Fremont has been heavily debated for almost as long as it has existed. For over half of a century many archaeologists have argued that the term is only useful in that it encapsulates the highly variable practices of a region. Others have argued that defining Fremont is impossible and even unproductive. We disagree with these assertions. We believe that there are sufficient similarities in material culture and social organization across the Fremont region to suggest that a...

DOCUMENT Citation Only Sara Stauffer. Lindsay Johansson.

The Fremont people were socially complex and lived within various sized communities. As with any community there are mechanisms used to either differentiate among members of the community or to integrate members of the community and beyond. One of these mechanisms is feasting. In this paper we present evidence from several large village sites across the Fremont region that suggests that the practice of feasting was utilized. In many cases, evidence for feasting is associated with structures that...