The Promontory Caves Plant Macrofossil Record

Summary

The dry deposits in Promontory Caves #1 and #2, northern Utah, contain abundant well-preserved plant materials related to the late prehistoric occupations there. Much of the plant macrofossil record in both caves, especially Cave #1, represents the manufacture of textiles, in particular the production of bulrush matting. Plant remains attributable to dietary use constitute a small part of the overall assemblage, consistent with the negligible evidence of plant food processing such as milling equipment. Here I consider the place of plant utilization in the Promontory Caves occupations, and potential indications of cultural connections with proto-Apachean populations and with local Great Basin societies such as the Fremont.

This Resource is Part of the Following Collections

• Society for American Archaeology 82nd Annual Meeting, Vancouver, BC (2017)   •
• Implications of the Promontory, Dismal River, and Franktown Archaeological Records for Apachean Prehistory

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Spatial Coverage

Record Identifiers

Abstract Id(s): 15015