Dietary Insights from a Middle Holocene Latrine Feature at the Connley Caves (35LK50), Oregon

Summary

The Connley Caves site is composed of eight rockshelters situated in a south-facing ridge of welded tuff on the margin of Paulina Marsh in the Fort Rock Basin of central Oregon. Poor preservation of perishable materials and the removal of much of the Middle Holocene deposits at the site with a backhoe during archaeological excavations carried out in the 1960s limit our knowledge of this period at the Connley Caves. Recent excavations conducted by the University of Oregon uncovered a small alcove between Caves 4 and 5 containing undisturbed Middle Holocene deposits, including a dense concentration of well-preserved coprolites interpreted as a latrine feature. Twelve of these coprolites have been analyzed for microscopic and macroscopic remains to investigate prehistoric diet and environment at the site. A wide variety of plants and animals were represented in the coprolite contents, suggesting a broad-spectrum diet that included seeds, fish, birds, and mammals. Results of the coprolite analysis are presented here, in conjunction with new radiocarbon dates and cultural materials from this feature.

This Resource is Part of the Following Collections

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

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Record Identifiers

Abstract Id(s): 19903