When Window Mesh is Worth It: Assessing the Potential of Microrefuse in Spatial Analysis of Hunter-Gatherer Sites

Summary

The smallest pieces of chipped stone flaking debris are often overlooked in the analysis of hunter-gatherer camps. Several factors account for this, including recovery methods, research focus, and time and cost allotted for a project. At shallowly-buried sites where features have been obliterated, concentrations of microrefuse have the potential to reveal in situ activity areas or secondary deposits formed by batch dumping. This paper presents a case study of the Mountaineer Folsom site near Gunnison, Colorado, to illustrate the interpretive value of flakes <2 mm in maximum dimension. Results indicate that, while time-consuming, performing spatial analyses at this resolution provides insight into human behaviors that would go otherwise undetected in the archaeological record. At Mountaineer in particular, small flakes reveal how hunter-gatherers perceived and used the space associated with a dwelling structure.

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): 22552