Paleoecological Analysis Using Select Coprolites & Sediments Recovered from Paisley Caves, Oregon

Summary

Coprolites recovered from archaeological context provide direct access to understanding past human interactions with their environments. The Paisley Caves of south-central Oregon are notable for the presence of hundreds of preserved coprolites, the oldest confirmed as being human in origin and approximately 14,350 cal. BP years old. Our project focused on analyzing a series of coprolites and their corresponding sediments to look for variabilities in the paleoenvironment in the area immediate to Paisley Caves during the late Pleistocene through the early Holocene. Using palynological, faunal, and parasitological proxies for evidence, the results showed a high degree of variability between coprolite and sedimentary sources, thereby allowing a comparison of mobile environmental signals versus stationary ones but related in temporal context.

This Resource is Part of the Following Collections

• Society for American Archaeology 83rd Annual Meeting, Washington, DC (2018)

Keywords

Spatial Coverage

Record Identifiers

Abstract Id(s): 21301