Typological and technological analyses of multi-component Lithic collection from Eastern Kentucky.

Abstract

The purpose of this thesis was to perform a typological and technological analysis of the Gibson Collection utilizing statistical analyses and carefully recorded metric data. The Gibson Collection consists of N=472 lithic artifacts from the southern tip of Fleming County in eastern Kentucky, located directly above the Cave Run Reservoir. The main research focus of this project was to assign types to previously unrecorded artifacts with the intention of observing diachronic technological change of eastern Kentucky’s archaeological timeline within the Gibson collection. This thesis uses post-processual archaeological ideology and inquiry as well as statistical analyses and interpretation. Further, through the usage of comparative archaeological collections from previously recorded sites within eastern Kentucky, a viable classification was achieved for the valid Projectiles/Points/ Knives (PPKs) within the Gibson collection. This project was a collaborative effort between the University of Louisville’s Anthropology Department, the United States Forest Service, and the University of Kentucky’s William S. Webb Museum of Anthropology.