Paleoindian Lithic Conveyance and Land-Use in the Northwestern Great Basin: A Summary of the Current Evidence

Summary

For more than a decade, the University of Nevada, Reno has conducted archaeological survey in the northwestern Great Basin, searching for Paleoindian sites under the auspices of the Great Basin Paleoindian Research Unit (formerly the Sundance Archaeological Research Fund). Our work has identified a rich record of early occupation in southeastern Oregon and northwestern Nevada. Additionally, we have reanalyzed existing collections of Paleoindian artifacts from Last Supper Cave and Hanging Rockshelter. I review these efforts, focusing on the archaeology of Warner, Guano, and Hawksy Walksy valleys, Five Mile Flat, Last Supper Cave, Hanging Rockshelter, and the Black Rock Desert. I discuss the concept of "Lithic Conveyance Zones", made popular in the Intermountain West by Charlotte Beck and Tom Jones, as well as site location and assemblage composition. I consider these data within broader patterns of settlement-subsistence, land use, and toolstone procurement in the northwestern Great Basin.

This Resource is Part of the Following Collections

• Society for American Archaeology 82nd Annual Meeting, Vancouver, BC (2017)   •
• Toolstone Papers in Honor of the Careers of Charlotte Beck and George T. Jones

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Record Identifiers

Abstract Id(s): 14585