Modeling Middle Holocene Site Frequencies in Southeastern Wyoming: Exploring the Early Archaic through Probabilistic Models

Author(s): Houston Martin

Year: 2015

Summary

The lack of Middle Holocene sites on the Northwestern Plains provided grounds for further research on its source. A range of explanations have been proposed for the low frequency of archaeological sites dating between 8000 and 5000 BP in southeastern Wyoming, including geological, cultural, and researcher bias. Some suggest that human populations occupying the plains during this time were reduced. However, others point out that conditions during and following this time period may have destroyed sites or deeply buried them. Using quantitative and probabilistic models, this poster explores the likelihood of finding an Early Archaic period site given information concerning the history of research in the area, the chance of revealing buried cultural remains, and potential sources of geological bias. Further, it provides predictions of locations in Platte and Goshen Counties, Wyoming, that would benefit from further investigation; these areas will be subject to research attention in the future.

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Cite this Record

Modeling Middle Holocene Site Frequencies in Southeastern Wyoming: Exploring the Early Archaic through Probabilistic Models. Houston Martin. Presented at The 80th Annual Meeting of the Society for American Archaeology, San Francisco, California. 2015 ( tDAR id: 398059)

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Spatial Coverage

min long: -113.95; min lat: 30.751 ; max long: -97.163; max lat: 48.865 ;