Human Response to Environmental Change during the Early/Mid Holocene in the Great Basin: Frame of Reference in Comparative Perspective

Summary

At the transition from Early to Middle Holocene, the Great Basin witnessed higher effective temperatures and reduced aquatic resource zones. Intensified use of terrestrial plants, reflected by the Middle Holocene appearance of milling equipment, is an archaeological signature of the transition, but the relative importance of terrestrial fauna and aquatic resources under either climatic regime remains unclear. Here we use Binford’s environmental frames of reference to model regional Early and Middle Holocene subsistence based on variability among recent hunter-gatherers. We compare results with the Argentinian Mendoza region and theoretical models based on human behavioral ecology to develop future research directions.

Cite this Record

Human Response to Environmental Change during the Early/Mid Holocene in the Great Basin: Frame of Reference in Comparative Perspective. David Zeanah, Robert Elston, Adolfo Gil, Gustavo Neme, Amber Johnson. Presented at The 81st Annual Meeting of the Society for American Archaeology, Orlando, Florida. 2016 ( tDAR id: 403330)

Spatial Coverage

min long: -122.761; min lat: 29.917 ; max long: -109.27; max lat: 42.553 ;