Multiple Clovis Occupations at the Belson Site: New Data for Testing Foraging Models from Southwest Michigan

Summary

This is an abstract from the "SAA 2024: Individual Abstracts" session, at the 89th annual meeting of the Society for American Archaeology.

Excavations at the Belson site in southwest Michigan have revealed at least two stratified Clovis occupations below the plowed deposit. These data provide a rare opportunity to test foraging models against data from each occupation. With lines of evidence such as chert sourcing, technological analysis, and proteomics, we can begin to understand how foraging behaviors may differ or remain consistent from year to year. Initial sourcing of chert via minerals and microfossils, indicates that people are procuring resources from as far as 600 km to the south, however, by far the most common chert in the Clovis deposits is from Attica, Indiana, about 280 km south. Initial study of ancient proteins from chert tools suggests a broad spectrum foraging behavior, with four different taxa identified on three tools, providing evidence against the traditional model of being megafauna specialists. Future analysis will focus on more rigorous model testing and formulation, including data from additional excavations.

This Resource is Part of the Following Collections

• SAA 2024: Individual Abstracts   •
• Society for American Archaeology 89th Annual Meeting, New Orleans, LA (2024)

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Record Identifiers

Abstract Id(s): 38987.0