Quartz Microcores and Bladelets in Southern New England: Gulf of Maine Archaic Tradition Sites and the Rise of Quartz Technology during the Early Holocene

Summary

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

Sites containing Early Holocene Gulf of Maine Archaic Tradition (GMAT) components have been few and far between in the New England region. Given the lack of diagnostic tools associated with the industry and the general rise in quartz use during the Archaic Period in the Northeast, these sites have often been misattributed to Late Archaic period occupations; more commonly referred to as Narrow or Small Stemmed. However, increased study and recognition of the Quartz Core and Uniface Industry, the principal suite of technology utilized at GMAT sites during the Early Archaic Period in northern New England, has led to a subtle boom in identified GMAT sites throughout the region, including sites in southern New England. In fact, sites with quartz microcore and bladelet technology have been increasingly identified throughout the Northeastern United States and Canada, indicating a wider technological adaptation during the Early Archaic period than originally proposed. In this presentation we discuss recently identified GMAT sites in southern New England, the potential for GMAT as a technological response to environmental change, and the further implication for the extent of this overlooked industry.

This Resource is Part of the Following Collections

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

Keywords

Record Identifiers

Abstract Id(s): 39565.0