Stuck in the Middle: A Technological Organization Study on an Underwater Paleoindian Assemblage

Summary

Unfluted lanceolate point types in the Southeast United States, including Suwannee, Simpson, Quad, and Beaver Lake, are poorly understood. A lack of robust unfluted point assemblages found in secure context in association with radiocarbon datable material has made interpreting these types difficult. However, a few sites in the Southeast contain unfluted lanceolate points within relative stratigraphic sequences or associated with extinct fauna. Based on this evidence from these sites, these styles are often attributed to the Middle Paleoindian period (~10,600-10,200 rcybp). The Middle Paleoindian period in North America is theorized to be a time of regional specialization and settlement following a phase during which people maintained generalized, adaptable toolkits suited for high mobility. However, the rarity of discreet Middle Paleoindian components in the Southeast has made this theory difficult to test in the region. Here, I examine the only site in the Southeast at which excavations have revealed a discrete Suwannee lithic component; the Ryan-Harley site (8JE1004) in North Florida. I present a technological organization perspective from Ryan-Harley to provide insight on Suwannee point makers and to test the theory of Middle Paleoindian regional specialization by examining patterns in land-use and technological provisioning through assemblage variability and tool-kit curation.

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): 22635