Folsom Hunter-Gatherers May Have Ignored Local Raw Material Sources

Summary

This is an abstract from the "The Elemental Analysis Facility at the Field Museum: Celebrating 20 Years Serving the Archaeological Community " session, at the 89th annual meeting of the Society for American Archaeology.

The Adair-Steadman Folsom site (41FS2) functioned as a lithic workshop and campsite between 10,800 and 10,300 RCYBP and is situated ~5 km away from an Edwards chert quarry (41FS12) in the Southern Plains. This research aims to determine potential sources of Edwards chert Folsom artifacts at Adair-Steadman through LA-ICP-MS. The outcomes of this study, combined with a technological investigation, may yield valuable insights into Folsom mobility patterns. A previous investigation into the Adair-Steadman Folsom preforms (130), channel flakes (287), and projectile points (58) suggested knappers were gearing up for future hunts. A minimum analytical nodule analysis determined that knappers were likely not using the quarry at 41FS12 for the manufacture of Folsom projectile points. However, a preliminary assessment of the geochemical analysis of Adair-Steadman artifacts combined with previous research at 41FS12 suggests that Folsom knappers may have utilized Edwards chert from alternative sources potentially 50 km or further away. The selection of nonlocal Edwards chert sources may fit within other Folsom knapper constraints of landscape and ecological zones and/or raw material quality encountered during logistical forays. This is to be confirmed by comparison of geochemical data from raw material and artifacts from 41FS12 with the Adair-Steadman artifacts.

This Resource is Part of the Following Collections

• Society for American Archaeology 89th Annual Meeting, New Orleans, LA (2024)   •
• The Elemental Analysis Facility at the Field Museum: Celebrating 20 Years Serving the Archaeological Community

Keywords

Spatial Coverage

Record Identifiers

Abstract Id(s): 37983.0