Intrasite Spatial Patterning and the Paleoindian Record of Eastern North America
Part of: Society for American Archaeology 82nd Annual Meeting, Vancouver, BC (2017)
Ethnoarchaeological studies have shown the value of studying human spatial arrangements to characterize group size, group relatedness, subsistence practices, and other economic activities. Over the years a number of Paleoindian sites in eastern North America have been excavated that contain precise spatial data on artifacts and features. These sites range from small ephemeral campsites to larger habitation sites with multiple loci. Through various analyses, presenters in this symposium present on-going research focused on intra-site spatial patterning. As a whole these studies offer new directions in exploring spatial patterning at hunter-gatherer campsites and contribute to a larger goal of building spatial databases that will allow for future comparisons between sites.
Other Keywords
Paleoindian •
Lithics •
geomorphology •
Refitting •
Trampling •
Pleistocene •
Northeast •
New England
Geographic Keywords
United States of America (Country) •
North America (Continent) •
USA (Country) •
Canada (Country) •
North America - Northeast •
Delaware (State / Territory) •
Connecticut (State / Territory) •
West Virginia (State / Territory) •
New Jersey (State / Territory) •
Virginia (State / Territory)
Resources Inside This Collection (Viewing 1-5 of 5)
- Documents (5)
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Exploring Artifact Trampling at an Early Paleoindian Campsite (2017)
DOCUMENT Citation Only
Taphonomic processes such as trampling can have a major impact on the interpretation of site formation, artifact distribution, and use-wear analyses. This poster presents a preliminary spatial and lithic analysis of artifacts from the Shawnee-Minisink Paleoindian site in Pennsylvania, USA. Using a high resolution point-provenience database of Paleoindian artifacts, possible trampling damage is mapped and analyzed in order to distinguish if high foot traffic areas exist at Shawnee-Minisink, such...
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Guess Who’s Coming to Dinner: An Exploration of Lithic Tools and Sources at the Bull Brook Paleoindian Site, Ipswich, Massachusetts. (2017)
DOCUMENT Citation Only
The Bull Brook Site in Ipswich, Massachusetts is one of the largest and seemingly most spatially organized Paleoindian sites in North America. The intra-site activity patterning of flaked stone tools helped us to distinguish the site as a large aggregation of inhabitants, as opposed to small occupations taking place over time. The strong pattern of interior and exterior activity differences, or concentric rings of activity, are difficult to explain except by an organized social event. Who then...
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Intra-Site Spatial Patterning of the Templeton Paleoindian Site in Northwestern Connecticut (2017)
DOCUMENT Citation Only
The Paleoindian occupation at Templeton is reconsidered based on research conducted since the site’s initial study by Dr. Roger Moeller in the late 1970s. This poster describes the intra-site spatial patterning at Templeton gleaned from the 2016 excavations at the site and the reanalysis of the Paleoindian materials recovered by Moeller. Aspects of intra-site spatial patterning ascertained via ground penetrating radar surveys of the landform, lithic microwear analyses, micromorphological...
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Refitting Paleoindian Workspaces and Activity Areas (2017)
DOCUMENT Citation Only
Shawnee-Minisink represents one of the most spatially intact Clovis assemblages ever found. Recent work focusing on artifact spatial distributions and lithic refitting allow me to better define activity areas within the site. While previous analyses suggest that hide scraping was a common activity at the site it is unclear how such work areas were arranged compared to other features or work areas. This poster presents preliminary refitting results from a Clovis living floor, which suggest the...
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The Snyder Paleoindian Complex in New Jersey : Interpreting Intra/Inter-site Spatial Patterning (2017)
DOCUMENT Citation Only
The Snyder Site Complex consists of stratified, multicomponent prehistoric localities at Carpentersville, New Jersey, situated on a series of terraces adjacent to the Delaware River. The Paleoindian components of the complex stand out because of the extensive landscapes involved, the number of fluted bifaces and diagnostic tool types that can be associated with occupations, and the fact that it is revisited throughout the Paleoindian period. Research that has been completed at the complex has...