Late Prehistoric Occupation Research Articles

Reconstructing Late Prehistoric Occupation in the Southern Levant: Irbid as a Case Study for Settlements and Funerary Patterns

Reconstructing Late Prehistoric Occupation in the Southern Levant: Irbid as a Case Study for Settlements and Funerary Patterns

Prehistoric and Early Medieval Settlement Features at Ravelrig Road and Newmills Road, Balerno, City of Edinburgh

Evaluation and excavation works in advance of housing development at two sites on Ravelrig Road and Newmills Road, Balerno, City of Edinburgh, revealed significant archaeological features evidencing multi-phase settlement. At Ravelrig Road, two groups of pits were dated to the Early and Middle to Late Neolithic periods with a cluster of Copper Age and Early Bronze Age features that included two possible storage features. At Newmills Road, alongside limited evidence for late prehistoric occupation in the form of pits dating to the last centuries BC and the first centuries AD, the most significant remains were of early medieval date, including a ring-groove representing a putative roundhouse and other features, including a hearth and linear boundary features, generally placed between the 7th and 9th centuries AD according to radiocarbon dating.

Dating Persistent Short-Term Human Activity in a Complex Depositional Environment: Late Prehistoric Occupation at Saruq al-Hadid, Dubai

ABSTRACTThe archaeological site of Saruq al-Hadid, Dubai, United Arab Emirates, presents a long sequence of persistent temporary human occupation on the northern edge of the Rub’ al-Khali desert. The site is located in active dune fields, and evidence for human activity is stratified within a deep sequence of natural dune deposits that reflect complex taphonomic processes of deposition, erosion and reworking. This study presents the results of a program of radiocarbon (14C) and thermoluminescence dating on deposits from Saruq al-Hadid, allied with studies of material remains, which are amalgamated with the results of earlier absolute dating studies provide a robust chronology for the use of the site from the Bronze Age to the Islamic period. The results of the dating program allow the various expressions of human activity at the site—ranging from subsistence activities such as hunting and herding, to multi-community ritual activities and large scale metallurgical extraction—to be better situated chronologically, and thus in relation to current debates regarding the development of late prehistoric and early historic societies in southeastern Arabia.

Evidence of open-air late prehistoric occupation in the Trieste area (north-eastern Italy): dating, 3D clay plaster characterization and obsidian provenancing

Abundant clay burnt plaster remains and a few flaked tools, including an obsidian artefact, found on the ground surface not far from Trieste (north-eastern Italy) provide rare evidence of a possible prehistoric open-air occupation in the area. To confirm and detail their ancient origin, a plaster sample has been dated between 4000 and 2000 B.C. via thermoluminescence. Outer and inner structure of selected plaster samples has been characterized using several techniques, i.e. X-ray diffraction, scanning electron microscopy and X-ray computed micro-tomography, obtaining information about their production technology. The last technique has allowed to image and virtually extract vegetal remains and imprints. Their 3D morphological study has contributed to collect information about the ancient environment and has provided clues to define the plaster production season. The provenance of the obsidian artefact from Lipari Island, revealed by prompt gamma activation analysis, suggests that the finding site was part of long-distance connection systems and probably worked as intermediate point between the north-eastern Adriatic coastal areas and the inner Karst plateau.

NEW PERSPECTIVES ON MISSISSIPPIAN OCCUPATIONS IN WESTERN TENNESSEE AND NORTHWESTERN MISSISSIPPI: RECENT CHRONOLOGICAL AND GEOPHYSICAL INVESTIGATIONS AT CHUCALISSA (40SY1), SHELBY COUNTY, TENNESSEE

Investigations at Chucalissa (40SY1) in Shelby County, Tennessee, have been instrumental in establishing Mississippian period chronology for southwestern Tennessee and much of the surrounding region. Excavations conducted in 2003 produced a suite of new radiocarbon dates that has provided a refined developmental lineage of occupations in West Tennessee and northwestern Mississippi, while geophysical investigations in 2011 have clarified our understanding of the late prehistoric occupation of the site and validated suggestions of distinctive mound architecture in a region extending over a large portion of the Southeast.

The signs of the sacred: Identifying shamans using archaeological evidence

Anthropologists have determined that shamanism is a robust cross-cultural pattern, but they still have many methodological and theoretical issues to resolve. Central to archaeological religious studies is the need to develop a general and rigorous methodology for identifying the presence and structure of shamanism. This discussion begins by discussing shamans as a polythetic class and proposes that shamans and priests as they are commonly defined do not represent dichotomous religious structures, but rather reflect two ends of a continuum. The paper then presents a methodology for identifying and studying shamanism based on cross-cultural regularities in shamanic tools (sacra) and shamanic experiences. The methodology is then applied to the Casas Grandes region and Pottery Mound, both from the North American Southwest, and indicates that shamanic ritual was likely present during the late prehistoric occupation of the region.

Data Recovery Excavations ar the J.B. White Site (41MM341), Milam County, Texas

In summer and fall 2002, personnel with Prewitt and Associates, Inc., undertook data recovery excavations at prehistoric site 41MM341 for the Texas Department of Transportation, Environmental Affairs Division, to address the requirements of Section 106 of the National Historic Preservation Act and the Texas Antiquities Code. Site 41MM341 is in central Milam County, Texas, just southeast of the town of Cameron, on a low rise in the modern floodplain of the Little River. The excavations were necessitated by the planned replacement of the State Highway 36 bridge spanning the Little River floodplain, which will directly affect the archeological deposits at 41MM341. The site, which was tested in 2001 and determined eligible for listing in the National Register of Historic Places and designation as a State Archeological Landmark, is well preserved and contains stratified, multicomponent prehistoric materials encased in late Holocene alluvium. The data recovery excavations focused on broad exposure of the remains of a series of Late Prehistoric occupations dating from A.D. 800 or 900 to 1300, with more-limited sampling of a component dating to the A.D. 600– 700s. The excavations consisted of 4 backhoe trenches, 11 initial 1x1-m units, and 3 hand-excavated blocks covering 208 m2. The excavations identified a variety of cultural features and recovered the following: 303 shaped chipped stone tools; 494 expedient stone tools; 168 cores; 39,872 pieces of unmodified debitage; 30 stone tools modified by grinding or battering; 30 bone tools or modified bones; 4 ceramic sherds; 6,540 pieces of vertebrate faunal remains; more than 58.2 kg of invertebrate faunal remains; 1.6 kg of macrobotanical remains; 163.0 kg of burned and unburned rocks; and 30.0 kg of burned clay. The records generated by the excavations and later analyses and the artifacts and other materials retained for curation are housed at the Center for Archaeological Research, The University of Texas at San Antonio. Analysis of the data recovered indicates that 41MM341 was a campsite occupied perhaps mostly during the summer months by hunter-gatherers who took mussels and fish from the river and hunted a variety of game, especially deer, on the Little River floodplain and the surrounding uplands. They may have used botanical resources less, although they did consume hardwood nuts and wild onion and false garlic bulbs. One important activity performed at the site was manufacture of stone tools—mostly arrow points, knives, and expedient flake tools—using chert collected from gravel bars in the river. Many of these tools were used in the wide variety of procurement, processing, and manufacturing activities that typified daily life at 41MM341, but some appear to have been made because they would be needed later in the year after people left the site. One anticipated need was for trade with the Caddo Indians of east Texas. The people who lived at 41MM341 and other sites in the Little River valley interacted regularly with the Caddo, perhaps in trade relationships that helped cement cooperative alliances aimed at regulating competition among groups. Site 41MM341 contributes important information on this topic, which remains an interesting research issue for Native American groups who used the Blackland Prairie between central and east Texas during the Late Prehistoric period.

Data Recovery Excavations at the J. B. White Site (41MM341), Milam County, Texas

In summer and fall 2002, personnel with Prewitt and Associates, Inc., undertook data recovery excavations at prehistoric site 41MM341 for the Texas Department of Transportation, Environmental Affairs Division, to address the requirements of Section 106 of the National Historic Preservation Act and the Texas Antiquities Code. Site 41MM341 is in central Milam County, Texas, just southeast of the town of Cameron, on a low rise in the modern floodplain of the Little River. The excavations were necessitated by the planned replacement of the State Highway 36 bridge spanning the Little River floodplain, which will directly affect the archeological deposits at 41MM341. The site, which was tested in 2001 and determined eligible for listing in the National Register of Historic Places and designation as a State Archeological Landmark, is well preserved and contains stratified, multicomponent prehistoric materials encased in late Holocene alluvium. The data recovery excavations focused on broad exposure of the remains of a series of Late Prehistoric occupations dating from A.D. 800 or 900 to 1300, with more-limited sampling of a component dating to the A.D. 600– 700s. The excavations consisted of 4 backhoe trenches, 11 initial 1x1-m units, and 3 hand-excavated blocks covering 208 m2. The excavations identified a variety of cultural features and recovered the following: 303 shaped chipped stone tools; 494 expedient stone tools; 168 cores; 39,872 pieces of unmodified debitage; 30 stone tools modified by grinding or battering; 30 bone tools or modified bones; 4 ceramic sherds; 6,540 pieces of vertebrate faunal remains; more than 58.2 kg of invertebrate faunal remains; 1.6 kg of macrobotanical remains; 163.0 kg of burned and unburned rocks; and 30.0 kg of burned clay. The records generated by the excavations and later analyses and the artifacts and other materials retained for curation are housed at the Center for Archaeological Research, The University of Texas at San Antonio.

Chronology, Culture, and Climate: A Radiometric Re-evaluation of Late Prehistoric Occupations at Cape Denbigh, Alaska

This paper presents new data about the chronological placement of two archaeological sites at Cape Denbigh, Norton Sound, Alaska and others along the Kobuk River, Alaska. Direct radiometric dates on arrowpoints and harpoon heads indicate that selected type specimens are not always reliable temporal indicators for late prehistoric sequences in northwest Alaska and Arctic Canada. In the future new fieldwork and direct dating of artifacts and associated sediments will be necessary in order to refine culture-history sequences, evaluate the utility of artifact types as chronological indicators, and to examine the relationship between past culture change and environmental change in coastal Alaska.

Distinguishing Change during the Animas Phase (A.D. 1150–1450) at the Boss Ranch Site, Southeastern Arizona

Archaeologists have had difficulty resolving the issues surrounding chronology and external relations during the late prehistoric occupation (A.D. 1150–1450) of the far southwestern corner of New Mexico and the far southeastern corner of Arizona (generally labeled the Animas phase). This article addresses these concerns using data from excavations at the Boss Ranch site (AZ FF: 7:10 [ASM]), an Animas habitation site located in the upper San Bernardino Valley. A suite of data is reviewed, including stratigraphy, architecture, radiocarbon dates, ceramic types, and chipped stone and faunal assemblage characteristics. Based on these analyses, the occupational history of the site likely spans more than a century, with three separate occupations. Mobility patterns appear to change through time, with the earliest occupation suggesting part-time residence. Finally, the regional implications of a more dynamic view of the Animas phase are presented.

Test Excavations at Prehistoric Site 41SM203, Smith County, Texas

Site 41SM203 is a prehistoric campsite situated along the southwestern outskirts of the city of Tyler, Smith County, Texas. The site occupies the apex and lower slopes of a north-south trending ridge that runs for several miles. The lower part of the site lies relatively near springs located along the headwaters of Butler Creek. These springs or similar ones are thought to have been a major attraction of this locale, but significant cultural deposits were not found near them or in any part of the site subject to the investigation. The cultural materials that were found indicate sporadic and nonintensive use of the site through different parts of the Archaic period, particularly the Late Archaic. Following the Late Archaic, there is a gap in the cultural record caused by the apparent absence of the Early Ceramic period. Later, there is meager evidence of Late Prehistoric occupation in the way of Caddoan ceramics.

The Garnsey Spring Campsite: Late Prehistoric Occupation in Southeastern New Mexico. William J. Parry and John D. Speth, with contributions by Regge N. Wiseman, Stephen A. Hall, and Virginia Popper. Research Reports in Anthropology, Contributions 10, Museum of Anthropology, University of Michigan Technical Report No. 15, Ann Arbor, 1984. xi + 228 pp., figures, tables, appendices, references cited. $8.00 (paper).

The Garnsey Spring Campsite: Late Prehistoric Occupation in Southeastern New Mexico. William J. Parry and John D. Speth, with contributions by Regge N. Wiseman, Stephen A. Hall, and Virginia Popper. Research Reports in Anthropology, Contributions 10, Museum of Anthropology, University of Michigan Technical Report No. 15, Ann Arbor, 1984. xi + 228 pp., figures, tables, appendices, references cited. 9.00 (paper). - Volume 51 Issue 1

The George C. Davis Site, Cherokee County, Texas: Spring 1980 Archeological Investigations

The results of archeological investigations in portions of the George C. Davis Site are presented in this report prepared by Ross Fields and J. Peter Thurmond . Stringent contract requirements and the provisions of Texas Antiquities Permit No. 237 dictate that this report be brief and descriptive in nature. Requirements such as inclusion of a detailed site investigation history and environmental data were excluded and extensive excavations were stressed in preference to detailed analyses and comparisons. Field investigations were limited by contract to 20 working days and the analysis/write-up to 10 working days. The governing research design was prepared by the Texas Antiquities Committee staff to reflect agreements between the Committee and the Texas Forest Service. Significant findings include the general delineation of extensive, and in places intensive, Archaic and Late Prehistoric occupations. Of primary importance is the lack of an identifiable Alto Focus occupation within the northern portion of the Davis Site. This suggests that the small left bank tributary to Bowles Creek existed during Alto Focus times and served as a natural boundary for the village area during that period of site usage. There are hints that significant variations in the selection and use of lithic resources through time are identifiable. It is indeed ! unfortunate that time limitations precluded pursuit of this line of investigation. Ross and Pete have successfully accomplished a most challenging task under less than ideal conditions. They and their field crew are commended for their outstanding work at the Davis Site.

Late Prehistoric Occupations in Northeastern Oklahoma

Late Prehistoric Occupations in Northeastern Oklahoma

Activity Patterning at Cerros de Trincheras in Southcentral Arizona

ABSTRACTRock-walled and terraced sites on hills in the Arizona Papagueria appear to have been activity areas used in conjunction with sites at the hill bases. Different artifacts and features on and below the hills indicate different activities were performed at these contemporaneous settlements. This use of hillslopes for specialized and intermittent activities may be traced from the present Papago Indian lifestyle pattern back to the late prehistoric occupation of the Baboquivari Valley.

: The Bowen Site: An Archaeological Study of Culture Process in the Late Prehistory of Central Indiana . John T. Dorwin. ; The Late Prehistoric Occupation of North-Western Indiana: A Study of the Upper Mississippi Cultures of the Kankakee Valley . Charles H. Faulkner. ; Indiana's Prehistoric Past . B. K. Swartz, Jr..

: The Bowen Site: An Archaeological Study of Culture Process in the Late Prehistory of Central Indiana . John T. Dorwin. ; The Late Prehistoric Occupation of North-Western Indiana: A Study of the Upper Mississippi Cultures of the Kankakee Valley . Charles H. Faulkner. ; Indiana's Prehistoric Past . B. K. Swartz, Jr..

Radiocarbon-Dated Archaeological Remains on the Northern and Central Great Plains

AbstractThis paper consolidates and summarizes the mass of radiocarbon determinations that has accumulated in various books, journals, newsletters, and manuscripts between 1951 and the spring of 1965. The dates are derived from Paleo-Indian, Archaic, Early Ceramic, and Late Prehistoric occupations in the Canadian provinces of Alberta and Saskatchewan and the Plains areas of Montana, Wyoming, Colorado, North Dakota, South Dakota, Nebraska, Kansas, and Iowa. Included are 195 radiocarbon dates attesting to the presence of man on the Plains for the last 12,000 years.