The Bryant Site: Five Prehistoric Loci in the Esopus Creek Drainage

Summary

Excavation of large sites in the Hudson Valley is often limited to the availability of resources and labor. The Bryant Site of Ulster County, New York, is a Late Archaic site located on approximately 54,000 m2 of horizontal surface area on privately owned farmland. Scientific sampling of the site was conducted through survey using a grid-based plan. Each grid square was analyzed for debitage, fire-cracked rock, and lithic artifacts. The results of each unit were contrasted and compared. Through analysis of each square, five possible loci of prehistoric activity were discovered. While surface collections are not without their disadvantages or bias, and cannot replace excavation in terms of evidence collection, this process yielded data which was used to infer potential site use, seasonality, and dietary behavior. The data collected opens the door for future excavation and potential testing of long-term prehistoric settlement in the area.

This Resource is Part of the Following Collections

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

Keywords

Record Identifiers

Abstract Id(s): 20555