The McKean Complex Occupation in the Sunlight Basin, Northwest Wyoming: An Updated Assessment of Cultural and Geological Stratigraphy at Site 48PA551

Summary

This is an abstract from the "New Multidisciplinary Research at 48PA551: A Middle Archaic (McKean Complex) Site in Northwest Wyoming" session, at the 84th annual meeting of the Society for American Archaeology.

Site 48PA551 is a widely recognized winter camp originally dated to Middle Archaic (McKean Complex) period. Original investigators described the McKean occupation as a singular unit within a 30-90 cm thick sedimentary stratum beginning at the ground surface. Original radiocarbon dating placed the occupation range at ca. 3800-4400 radiocarbon years B.P. In this poster, we discuss results of new research at the site designed to clarify our understanding of the McKean Complex occupations. We offer new data to suggest that there are actually two periods of occupation consistently represented across the site. We also provide preliminary consideration of spatial variability in occupation materials that includes evidence for two new pithouses, cooking and storage features, and possibly dump areas for faunal remains.

This Resource is Part of the Following Collections

• New Multidisciplinary Research at 48PA551: A Middle Archaic (McKean Complex) Site in Northwest Wyoming   •
• Society for American Archaeology 84th Annual Meeting, Albuquerque, NM (2019)

Keywords

Record Identifiers

Abstract Id(s): 22822