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Human Behavioral Response to the Younger Dryas in North Alabama: an Analysis of the Richard L Mississippi State University Scholars Junction Theses and Dissertations Theses and Dissertations 8-9-2019 Human behavioral response to the Younger Dryas in North Alabama: An analysis of the Richard L. Kilborn collection Robert A. Barlow Follow this and additional works at: https://scholarsjunction.msstate.edu/td Recommended Citation Barlow, Robert A., "Human behavioral response to the Younger Dryas in North Alabama: An analysis of the Richard L. Kilborn collection" (2019). Theses and Dissertations. 2511. https://scholarsjunction.msstate.edu/td/2511 This Graduate Thesis - Open Access is brought to you for free and open access by the Theses and Dissertations at Scholars Junction. It has been accepted for inclusion in Theses and Dissertations by an authorized administrator of Scholars Junction. For more information, please contact [email protected]. Template B v3.0 (beta): Created by J. Nail 06/2015 Human behavioral response to the Younger Dryas in North Alabama: An analysis of the Richard L. Kilborn collection By TITLE PAGE Robert A. Barlow A Thesis Submitted to the Faculty of Mississippi State University in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree of Master of Arts in Applied Anthropology in the Department of Anthropology and Middle Eastern Cultures Mississippi State, Mississippi August 2019 Copyright by COPYRIGHT PAGE Robert A. Barlow 2019 Human behavioral response to the Younger Dryas in North Alabama: An analysis of the Richard L. Kilborn collection By APPROVAL PAGE Robert A. Barlow Approved: ____________________________________ Darcy Shane Miller (Major Professor) ____________________________________ Evan Peacock (Committee Member) ____________________________________ James W. Hardin (Committee Member) ____________________________________ Ryan Parish (Committee Member) ____________________________________ David M. Hoffman (Graduate Coordinator) ____________________________________ Rick Travis Dean College of Arts & Sciences Name: Robert A. Barlow ABSTRACT Date of Degree: August 9, 2019 Institution: Mississippi State University Major Field: Applied Anthropology Major Professor: Darcy Shane Miller Title of Study: Human behavioral response to the Younger Dryas in North Alabama: An analysis of the Richard L. Kilborn collection Pages in Study 105 Candidate for Degree of Master of Arts This study is a collections-based project that employs approximately 1,300 projectile points to investigate behavioral response to the Younger Dryas in north Alabama (12,900 to 11,700 BP). I apply a version of the marginal value theorem to determine how changing resource structures caused changes in projectile point technology. I argue that changes in technology during the Younger Dryas were not conditioned by access or availability of lithic raw material. Instead, variation in technology is likely a response to changes in return rates from hunting and foraging. Further, the changes in hunting return rates correlate with changes in north Alabama forest structure, which were conditioned by the Younger Dryas. To this end, I argue that the sustained impact of the Younger Dryas, and subsequent Holocene warming, had an effect on the subsistence economies of hunter-gatherers living in northern Alabama during this time, which is exhibited by changes in projectile point technology. DEDICATION I dedicate this to Tatum and Emerson, my two shining stars. Daddy Loves you. I also dedicate this to my mom for taking care of me at home and to Stone Cold Steve Austin for raising me via satellite every Monday during my youth. ii ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS This work would not be possible without the support of many people over the past two (long) years. First and foremost, I want to acknowledge my major advisor, Shane Miller. This would not be possible without his guidance and I could not be more grateful for him taking a chance on me. Shane’s investment and passion towards the success of his students is unparalleled. Likewise, I would like to thank my committee members Evan Peacock, Jimmy Hardin, and Ryan Parish. These gentlemen provide a guideline for what it means to be a true academic and were available to help me at the drop of a hat. Further thanks are warranted to Ryan for his guidance in the reflectance spectroscopy portion of this study. Next, I would like to thank Richard L. Kilborn. Without Richard’s willingness to loan the Kilborn Collection, this gap in Alabama archaeology would not be filled. Also, the Alabama Archaeological Society (AAS) has provided a generous amount of financial support for this project which funded the reflectance spectroscopy research. Last, I would like to thank a great friend and mentor, Steven Meredith. Steven has provided countless conversations to aid in this research and all other things, both archaeology and not archaeology. iii TABLE OF CONTENTS DEDICATION ................................................................................................................ii ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS ........................................................................................... iii LIST OF TABLES ......................................................................................................... vi LIST OF FIGURES ....................................................................................................... vii CHAPTER I. INTRODUCTION AND STATEMENT OF RESEARCH PROBLEM ............. 1 Introduction ....................................................................................................... 1 Statement of Research Problem ......................................................................... 4 II. ENVIRONMENTAL AND GEOLOGIC SETTING ......................................... 6 Geology ............................................................................................................. 8 Paleo-environmental Record .............................................................................. 8 Late Paleoindian to Early Archaic Archaeology in Alabama ............................ 11 Russell Cave .............................................................................................. 13 La Grange Rock Shelter ............................................................................. 13 The Quad Locality ..................................................................................... 14 Heaven’s Half Acre ................................................................................... 15 Stanfield-Worley ....................................................................................... 16 Dust Cave .................................................................................................. 16 Biface Chronology ..................................................................................... 18 III. HUNTER-GATHERER STONE TOOL ECONOMIES .................................. 24 The Organization of Technology ..................................................................... 24 The Marginal Value Theorem Applied to Stone Tools ..................................... 30 Hypotheses ...................................................................................................... 35 IV. MATERIALS AND METHODS .................................................................... 39 Materials ......................................................................................................... 39 The Kilborn Collection .............................................................................. 39 Alabama Fluted Point Survey .................................................................... 40 iv The Cambron-Hulse Collection .................................................................. 40 Raw Material ............................................................................................. 41 Methods .......................................................................................................... 42 Raw Material Selection .............................................................................. 46 Artifact Discard ......................................................................................... 47 Resharpening ............................................................................................. 47 V. RESULTS....................................................................................................... 49 Raw Material Procurement .............................................................................. 49 Discard Rates .................................................................................................. 52 Resharpening ................................................................................................... 53 Biface Size and Dimensions Through Time ..................................................... 56 VI. DISCUSSION ................................................................................................. 58 Human Response to the YD in North Alabama ................................................ 60 VII. CONCLUSIONS ............................................................................................ 63 Future Research ............................................................................................... 64 REFERENCES.............................................................................................................. 66 APPENDIX A. PROJECTILE POINT DATA ......................................................................... 74 v LIST OF TABLES Table 2.1 Point type chronology .................................................................................
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