Trends in Paleoindian Projectile Point Technology during the Pleistocene-Holocene Transition at the Old River Bed Delta, UT

Summary

The fossil Old River Bed delta, located in the Great Salt Lake Desert, UT, contains one of the highest concentrations of Paleoindian archaeology within the Great Basin. Occupied from 13,000 cal B.P. until its desiccation around 9,500 cal B.P., this productive marshland provided a wide array of dietary resources utilized by the region’s inhabitants during the Pleistocene-Holocene transition. However, changes in climate, local hydrology, and human populations during this dynamic period likely substantially altered the distribution and relative abundances of these resources. Here we analyze a large sample of projectile points from the delta’s distal portion to examine how hunting technology and behavior responded to this hypothesized shift in dietary resources. We propose that the observed trends of decreasing point size and manufacture investment through time are the result of Paleoindian hunters increasingly targeting smaller prey species (Odocoileus hemionus, Ovis canadensis, Antilocapra americana) as larger prey went extinct (Mammuthus, Bison antiquus) or decreased in abundance (Bison bison).

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): 21398