POLLEN, PHYTOLlTH, STARCH, AND MACROFLORAL ANALYSIS OF PALEOFECES FROM CONNLEY CAVE 5 (SITE 35LK50), FORT ROCK BASIN, OREGON

Summary

The Connley Caves, situated on the west side of the Connley Hills, have been the subject

of archaeological excavation several times. Five paleofeces (coprolites) were recovered recently,

which were submitted for microscopic examination to identify elements of the diet and identify and

evidence of parasites. Pollen, phytoliths, starch, and macrofloral remains were examined to inform

concerning the vegetal portion of the diet. In addition, bones and fish scale were recovered and

reported, which represent the animal portion of the diet. Cultural materials recovered from the

Connley Caves have a general Late-Middle Holocene association, which ranged from 6000 to 3000

years ago. Although fish netting and basket fragments from a rat midden produced AMS dates

ranging from 4240 to 4590 RCYBP, Rose Spring and Elko projectile points also were present.

Therefore, four of the five human paleofeces selected for analysis were also radiocarbon dated,

producing calibrated ages between 4100 and 5880 RCYBP.

This Resource is Part of the Following Collections

• PaleoResearch Institute

Keywords

File Information