A Reassessment of Northeastern Great Basin Prehistory

Abstract

A re-examination of data from eastern Great Basin sites (in particular Hogup Cave) indicates that subsistence patterns did not, as suggested by Jennings (1957) and Aikens (1970), remain essentially unchanged throughout the period of Archaic occupation. The evidence points to a major adaptive shift from semi-permanent settlement on lake peripheries to primary dependence on upland resources during the mid-Holocene. This adaptive modification was related to increased effective moisture, concomitant lake level increases and flooding of lake periphery resources rather than the purported Altithermal dessication as suggested by Baumhoff and Heizer (1965). There was a lengthy hiatus between Archaic and Fremont occupations of ca. 2000 years at lake periphery sites and ca. 1000 years for the northeastern Great Basin in general. This fact militates against the commonly held assumption that the Fremont culture developed from an Archaic substratum in this area.