Browsing by Subject "Lithics"

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    An Assessment of the Limitations of Macroscopic Lithic Raw Material Identification and Parent Nodule Assignment within Archaeological Contexts in Minnesota and an Analysis of Lithic Raw Material Utilization at 21LN2
    (2013-05) Doperalski, Mark
    The objective of this study was twofold; one, test the limitations of macroscopic lithic raw material identification and parent nodule assignment with regard to materials commonly identified within prehistoric contexts in Minnesota (the secondary study); and two, assess the lithic raw material utilization at 21LN2 (the primary study). The initial results of the secondary study indicate that macroscopic observation can be an effective method with regard to differentiating and identifying lithic raw material types commonly encountered at archaeological sites in Minnesota. The results also suggest that Minimum Analytical Nodule Analysis should be quite applicable to most lithic assemblages identified at archaeological sites in Minnesota. The results of the primary study demonstrate that the prehistoric inhabitants of 21LN2 operated within a vast sphere of interaction and relied heavily upon local and non-local lithic resources. Indications are that the Law of Least Effort does not adequately describe the procurement pattern found at 21LN2. Non-locally procured raw materials tend to exhibit a higher degree of curation and retooling appears to have been an important aspect of the lithic industry at the site. The results of the study also demonstrate that high quality raw materials of non-local provenience were, in general, reduced more efficiently and retouched with greater intensity than other raw material types identified at the site.
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    Lithic Analysis and Spatial Patterning at the Bremer Site (21DK06), Dakota County, Minnesota
    (2015-05) Taft, Mara
    The purpose of this study was to conduct a lithic and spatial analysis of the Bremer Site (21DK06), Dakota County, Minnesota in order to better understand how lithic tools and raw materials were curated at the site, what lithic activities took place at the site, what raw materials were present, and if these raw materials were differentially used. Providing answers to these questions will greatly increase our understanding of the Bremer site, its inhabitants, and their role in the region. These questions are addressed by many different analyses. The results of the chipping debris analysis demonstrate the differential use of raw materials by locality and quality at the Bremer site. Locally available Prairie du Chien chert was the primary material used at the site, yet non-local materials had a large presence there, as well, indicating trade of raw materials throughout the region. Additionally, materials were preferentially chosen based on quality and texture. This indicates a non-random selection of materials based on quality for bifacial tool creation. Two distinctive cultural horizons were identified through the vertical stratigraphy of artifacts within Block 1 with observable differentiations in raw material availability and use. These results indicate cultural differences through time represented in the lithic artifacts and an increase in trade and cultural contact over time at the same site. The horizontal artifact distributions and activity areas at the site were identified through a spatial analysis of the site. This analysis also indicated a division of knapping events by raw material type and by artifact type over space. These studies and results increase our knowledge of the inhabitants of the Bremer site, their lifeways and site occupation, and their relationship to the larger region in which they lived.