The Frame Bifaces: Idiosyncratic Caching Behavior in Ancient Colorado

Summary

This is an abstract from the "SAA 2025: Individual Abstracts" session, at the 90th annual meeting of the Society for American Archaeology.

The Frame Biface Cache consists of three large bifaces found in Logan County, northeastern Colorado. The bifaces were knapped from Flattop chalcedony and are interpreted as late-stage preforms, with fairly flat faces, high width:thickness ratios, and edges that lack finishing work and use-wear. Two of them are very similar in dimensions, but one shows no signs of hafting modification while the other bears two notches low on its sides. The third, however, is distinct in that it is both wider and thinner than the others, knapped from a higher-grade nodule, and flaked with consistent comedial patterning. This latter biface is also different in that it alone was recovered in three fragments, of which at least one exhibits signs of post-break utilization. These combined idiosyncrasies complicate multiple lines of inquiry and offer exemplary insight into many of the difficulties associated with the study of lithic caches. This analysis will describe the bifaces in detail, compare them with assemblages from other known Flattop chalcedony caches, and examine their characteristics that simultaneously support and complicate confident associations with such formal descriptors as production stage and typology.

This Resource is Part of the Following Collections

• Society for American Archaeology 90th Annual Meeting, Denver, CO (2025)   •
• SAA 2025: Individual Abstracts

Keywords

Record Identifiers

Abstract Id(s): 53489