High Resolution Chronology and Paleobiogeography of Bison and Pronghorn Occupation in Southeast Texas and their Implications for Human Paleoecology

Summary

Bison and pronghorn are taxa that have relatively high visibility in the archaeological record of the southern Plains. Understanding when bison and pronghorn were present in regions located in the southern Plains periphery is important for our general knowledge regarding bison/pronghorn ecology, climate, and environmental change in North America, as well as providing insights into human responses during these periods. Previous studies of the extent and timing of bison expansion into the southern Plains of Central Texas suggest this group’s presence and absence constitutes a series of events that correlates to specific climatic excursions, with associated human responses. A comparable situation appears to prevail in Southeast Texas where bison are occasionally reported from Late Prehistoric archaeological contexts. Pronghorn, an animal with requirements similar to yet unique from bison, may provide additional insights on the timing and manner of change witnessed in both paleoclimate and human paleoecology in Southeast Texas. Stable and radio-isotopic analyses of bone collagen from bison and pronghorn can provide high precision data on both the timing and effect of different kinds of environmental change on human lifeways. We discuss the application of these techniques and present new direct AMS radiocarbon data on bison from Southeast Texas.

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): 22001