Late Paleoindian Through Middle Archaic Faunal Evidence from Dust Cave, Alabama

University of Tennessee, Knoxville TRACE: Tennessee Research and Creative Exchange Doctoral Dissertations Graduate School 5-1998 Late Paleoindian through Middle Archaic Faunal Evidence from Dust Cave, Alabama Renee Beauchamp Walker University of Tennessee - Knoxville Follow this and additional works at: https://trace.tennessee.edu/utk_graddiss Part of the Anthropology Commons Recommended Citation Walker, Renee Beauchamp, "Late Paleoindian through Middle Archaic Faunal Evidence from Dust Cave, Alabama. " PhD diss., University of Tennessee, 1998. https://trace.tennessee.edu/utk_graddiss/1873 This Dissertation is brought to you for free and open access by the Graduate School at TRACE: Tennessee Research and Creative Exchange. It has been accepted for inclusion in Doctoral Dissertations by an authorized administrator of TRACE: Tennessee Research and Creative Exchange. For more information, please contact [email protected]. To the Graduate Council: I am submitting herewith a dissertation written by Renee Beauchamp Walker entitled "Late Paleoindian through Middle Archaic Faunal Evidence from Dust Cave, Alabama." I have examined the final electronic copy of this dissertation for form and content and recommend that it be accepted in partial fulfillment of the equirr ements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy, with a major in Anthropology. Walter E. Klippel, Major Professor We have read this dissertation and recommend its acceptance: Paul W. Parmalee, Gerald F. Schroedl, David A. Etnier, Boyce N. Driskell Accepted for the Council: Carolyn R. Hodges Vice Provost and Dean of the Graduate School (Original signatures are on file with official studentecor r ds.) To the Graduate Council: I am submitting herewith a dissertation written by Renee Beauchamp Walker entitled "Late Paleoindian through Middle Archaic Faunal Evidence from Dust Cave , Alabama ." I have examined the final copy of this dissertation for form and content and recommend that it be accepted in partial fulfillment of the requi rements for the degree of Doctor of Ph ilosophy, with a ma jor in An thropology . Maj or Professor We have read this dissertation and recomme nd its acceptance : • • .. ·'- I _.>/ < .. / - ��-(AA; \Q\1)-.r,r�- Paul W. Parmalee 1 . L/ l / - � d .w LA /,..c-- . ,/:Tt--t/2.-�� lu. 11-{ .... �--� ' / v Accepted for the Council: Associate Vice Chancellor and Dean of The Graduate School THE LATE PALEOINDIAN THROUGH MIDDLE ARCHAIC FAUNAL EVIDENCE FROM DUST CAVE, ALABAMA A Dissertation Presented for the Doctor of Philosophy Degree The University of Tennessee, Knoxville Renee Beauchamp Walker May 1998 Copyright © Renee Beauchamp Walker, 1998 All rights reserved - ii- DEDICATION This dissertation is dedicated to my mother, Marie Helen Kane Beauchamp , who gave me encouragement when I needed it the most . -iii- Acknowledgments There are so many people to thank for help throughout my graduate career. I am particularly grateful to my advisor, Dr . Walter E. Klippel, who cheerfully read draft after draft of this document , even on short notice . His encouragement over the years has meant so mu ch to me and I would not have come this far without it. Other members of my cowmittee , Drs . Paul Parmalee and Gerald Schroedl , were always willing to spare the time to talk about my research . I particularly enj oyed the visits Dr . Parmalee made to Dust Cave while I was there, discussing the fauna and collect ing salamanders from the bottom of the cave was truly enlightening. Dr. David Etnier was gracious enough to come onto my commi ttee late in the game and his volume (with Wayne C. Starnes) on the freshwater fishes of Tennessee was an invaluable aid for this research . Dr . Boyce Driskell is the person responsible for the whole topic of this dissertation and has been unfailingly support ive . The summers I have so far spent at Dust Cave, under his direct ion, have taught me mo re about archaeology than I learned in the ten years previous. Other Dust Cave crew members that have helped me through the years include Scott Meeks, who never complained about slogging through the mud "one last time." Nurit - iv- Goldman-Finn was a pleasure to work with and I particularly benefitted from her research on a regional perspective of Dust Cave . Jane Ellis taught me how to be a "real" woman during our work at Dust Cave . Al l of the students and other co-workers helped me in so many ways it would be impossible to summarize it all here . Finally, without the help of my fellow U.T.K. graduate studer.t , Sarah C. Sherwood , I would not have made it through all of those tick, mosquito, snake, and armadillo infested days at Dust Cave . She supplied help, encouragement, "girl-talk", and a good kick in the par.t s when needed . Many other U.T.K. graduate students were also helpful along the way . Joanne Bennett and Taylor Slem�er were always willing to listen when I was stuck or feeling discouraged. Chris Davenport was always very support ive . Mike Ruddel supplied much needed paleoenvironmental articles . Judy Patterson ventured to Dust Cave for a week and so understood the trials and tribulations of working there . My office-mate of seven years, Sean P. Coughlin, was always there for me , reading drafts, offering support , and overall encouragement . My fami ly has been very understanding through the years, even though they probably cannot fathom why I would want to live in a swamp for two months during the summe r. I -v- would like to thank all of them for supporting me in what I chose to do with my life. Finally, I would like to thank my husband Charles R. Walker, Jr . for being so patient and comforting throug�out �he many long years it took to complete this research . -vi- ABSTRACT This research involves the faunal evidence from the site of Dust Cave in northwest Alabama . The site was occupied by prehistoric hunter- gatherers from 10, 500 to 5,200 years ago . Dust Cave is significant to archaeological research because it represents one of the earliest known , stratified Late Paleoindian and Archaic deposits in the Southeast . Test excavations were conducted at the cave from 1989-1994 and the materials for this dissertation were collected during this period . Re sults of the faunal analys is indicate that changes occurred in res ource selection, habitat exploitation , and natural environment through time . A shift from a concentration on avian species to �ammalian species occurred from the Late Paleoindian to the Middle Archaic periods . In addition, aquatic resource s, which were important to Late Paleoindian people at the cave , were much less important by the Middle Archaic. Utilization of species from open, ecotone , and closed habitats also changed through time . Closed habitat species, such as squirre ls and raccoons, were much more important during the early occupation of the cave . Ecotone species, such as rabbits and whitetail deer became more important during later occupations . A comparison of the Dust Cave fauna to several other archaeological sites reveals that Dust Cave is -vii - the only site in which birds are a significant resource . The faunal assemb lages from almost all of the other sites were predominantly composed of mammal remains . In addition, at Dust Cave the utilization of aquatic resources decreases through time while at other sites the use of aquatics increases . The Dust Cave faunal assemblage exhibits trends observed in other southeas�ern faunal assemblages such as an increase in the use of whitetail deer and an increase in species from ecotone habitats through time . In sum, information on faunal remains from Dust Cave has signified that Late Paleoindian and Archaic period hunter-gatherers living at the site practiced subsistence adaptations that were particular to regional habitat conditions . -vi ii- TABLE OF CONTENTS CHAPTER PAGE I. INTRODUCTION AND OBJECTIVES Introduction . .................... ... .......1 Obj ectives ...................................2 Contextual Framework . ............. ..........4 Results .... ... .......... ........ .......... 9 Conclusion ............ ............... ...... 10 II . ARCHAEOLOGICAL RESEARCH IN THE SOUTHEAST Introduction ................................ 12 Paleoindian Period ..........................15 Archaic Period ..............................2 6 Conclusion ..................................32 :II. LATE PLEISTOCENE THROUGH MID-HOLOCENE ENVI RONMEKT Introduction ................................34 Environmental Reconstructi8n ....... .........36 Flora .......................................37 Fauna ............ ...........................43 All uvial Stratigraphy . ................. 4 9 Pickwick Basin Environment ..................50 Settlement Models ...........................51 Conclusion ..................................54 IV. RESEARCH AT DUST CAVE, 1989-1994 Int roduction ................................56 Dust Cave History ...........................57 Technology ..................................68 Vertebrate and Invertebrate Remains .........70 Conclusion . ....... ................ .... 7 2 V. ZOOARCHAEOLOGI CAL METHODS Introduction ............... .................74 Quantification ................. ..... ........7 4 Taphonomy ............... ....................7 6 Seasonality .................................8 5 Conclusion ........................ ..........8 9 - i x - VI . MATERIALS Int roduction ................................91 Mammalian Faunal Remains ....................92 Avian Faunal Remains .......................106 Amphibian Faunal Remains ...................11 3 Reptilian Faunal

Load more