DOCSLIB.ORG

The Mesa Site: Paleoindians Above the Arctic Circle

Total Page：16

File Type：pdf, Size：1020Kb

Download full-text PDF Read full-text
The Mesa Site: Paleoindians Above the Arctic Circle U. S. Department of the Interior BLM-Alaska Open File Report 86 Bureau of Land Management BLM/AK/ST-03/001+8100+020 April 2003 Alaska State Office 222 West 7th Avenue Anchorage Alaska 99513 The Mesa Site: Paleoindians above the Arctic Circle Michael Kunz, Michael Bever, Constance Adkins Cover Photo View of Mesa from west with Iteriak Creek in foreground. Photo: Dan Gullickson Disclaimer The mention of trade names or commercial products in this report does not constitute endorsement or recommendation for use by the federal government. Authors Michael Kunz is an Archaeologist, Bureau of Land Management (BLM), Northern Field Office, 1150 University Avenue, Fairbanks, Alaska 99709. Michael Bever is a project supervisor for Pacific Legacy Inc., 3081 Alhambra Drive, Suite 208, Cameron Park, CA 95682. Constance Adkins is an Archaeologist, Bureau of Land Management (BLM), Northern Field Office, 1150 University Avenue, Fairbanks, Alaska 99709. Open File Reports Open File Reports issued by the Bureau of Land Management-Alaska present the results of invento- ries or other investigations on a variety of scientific and technical subjects that are made available to the public outside the formal BLM-Alaska technical publication series. These reports can include preliminary or incomplete data and are not published and distributed in quantity. The reports are available while supplies last from BLM External Affairs, 222 West 7th Avenue #13, Anchorage, Alaska 99513 and from the Juneau Minerals Information Center, 100 Savikko Road, Mayflower Island, Douglas, AK 99824, (907) 364-1553. Copies are also available for inspection at the Alaska Resource Library and Information Service (Anchorage), the USDI Resources Library in Washington, D. C., various libraries of the University of Alaska, the BLM National Business Center Library (Denver) and other selected locations. A complete bibliography of all BLM-Alaska scientific reports can be found on the Internet at: http:// www.ak.blm.gov/affairs/sci_rpts.html. Related publications are also listed at http://juneau.ak.blm.gov. The BLM Mission The Bureau of Land Management sustains the health, diversity and productivity of the public lands for the use and enjoyment of present and future generations. The Mesa Site: Paleoindians above the Arctic Circle Michael Kunz Michael Bever Constance Adkins BLM-Alaska Open File Report 86 April 2003 U. S. Department of the Interior Mammoth and American Lion: A Late Ice Age Scene from the Brooks Range, Arctic Alaska (Taken from a painting by George "Rinaldino" Teichmann) CONTENTS ACKNOWLEDGMENTS ................................................................................................. iv-v ABSTRACT ..........................................................................................................................vi FORWARD ............................................................................................................................1 INTRODUCTION .................................................................................................................4 Purpose of the Report ........................................................................................................4 The Culture History of Arctic Alaska ...............................................................................4 The Mesa Paleoindians......................................................................................................7 NATURAL SETTING AND SITE DESCRIPTION............................................................. 7 Natural Setting ..................................................................................................................7 Site Description ...............................................................................................................11 Surface and natural stratigraphy ................................................................................11 Localities and cultural stratigraphy ............................................................................12 Cultural features ..........................................................................................................15 EXCAVATION AND COLLECTION METHODOLOGY ..................................................17 CHRONOLOGY ..................................................................................................................19 HISTORY OF FIELD WORK AND EXCAVATION .......................................................... 23 MESA COMPLEX LITHIC TYPOLOGY/TECHNOLOGY ...............................................27 Bifacial Tools ....................................................................................................................27 Finished bifaces ............................................................................................................27 projectile points ..........................................................................................................27 type A bifaces .............................................................................................................29 type B bifaces .............................................................................................................29 Unfinished bifaces ........................................................................................................30 early stage failures ....................................................................................................30 late stage failures/projectile point preforms.............................................................30 crude biface failures...................................................................................................30 uncategorized bifaces .................................................................................................30 Unifacial Tools .................................................................................................................31 Formal tools...................................................................................................................31 scrapers ......................................................................................................................31 Informal tools ................................................................................................................31 gravers ........................................................................................................................31 flake scrapers .............................................................................................................32 flake burins ................................................................................................................32 retouched/utilized flakes ...........................................................................................32 Flaking Detritus ..............................................................................................................32 Flake fragments ............................................................................................................32 Flakes with platforms...................................................................................................32 Bifacial flakes................................................................................................................33 Non-bifacial flakes ........................................................................................................33 Cortical flakes ...............................................................................................................33 Shatter...........................................................................................................................33 Flake cores ....................................................................................................................33 Other Cultural Material ..................................................................................................33 i THE MESA SITE MICROBLADE COMPONENT ...........................................................34 LITHIC SOURCES .............................................................................................................39 SITE USE ............................................................................................................................40 TOOL USE-WEAR AND RESIDUE ANALYSIS ..............................................................41 PALEOECOLOGY ..............................................................................................................44 Subsistence Resources .....................................................................................................44 Climate and Vegetation ...................................................................................................45 Paleobiology .....................................................................................................................48 IMPLICATIONS OF THE MESA COMPLEX FOR NORTH AMERICAN ARCHAEOLOGY AND THE PEOPLING OF THE NEW WORLD ................................ 53 Migrations ........................................................................................................................53 Technology vs. Environment ...........................................................................................54 North American Pleistocene Cultures ............................................................................55 Nenana ..........................................................................................................................55
Load more

Recommended publications
  • Microblade–Based Societies in North China at the End of the Ice Age
    quaternary Article Microblade–Based Societies in North China at the End of the Ice Age Meng Zhang 1,2 1 Department of Cultural Heritage and Museology, Fudan University, Shanghai 200433, China; [email protected] 2 Institute of Archaeological Science, Fudan University, Shanghai 200433, China Received: 23 May 2020; Accepted: 3 July 2020; Published: 9 July 2020 Abstract: One of the most prominent cultural changes during the end of Ice Age in northeastern Asia was the adoption of microblade technology by prehistoric hunter–gatherers to deal with the challenge brought by the climate deterioration and oscillation during and post the Last Glacial Maximum (LGM). The Pleistocene to Holocene transition in North China witnessed the rise of broader spectrum subsistence alongside a series of cultural changes, including adoption of food production, highly mobile lifeways being replaced by sedentism, and the formation of new social organization based on their agricultural land–use patterns. From the perspective of technological change, this project aims to build a socio–ecological framework to examine the cultural change of prehistoric microblade–based societies. In contrast to previous studies, the present research employs a macroecological approach based on Binford’s Constructing Frames of Reference (2001) to reconstruct the behaviors and demography of prehistoric foraging groups, under both modern and LGM climate conditions. Three case studies are conducted to show cultural and technological changes among microblade–based societies in North
    [Show full text]
  • Female Desire in the UK Teen Drama Skins
    Female desire in the UK teen drama Skins An analysis of the mise-en-scene in ‘Sketch’ Marthe Kruijt S4231007 Bachelor thesis Dr. T.J.V. Vermeulen J.A. Naeff, MA 15-08-16 1 Table of contents Introduction………………………………..………………………………………………………...…...……….3 Chapter 1: Private space..............................................…….………………………………....….......…....7 1.1 Contextualisation of 'Sketch'...........................................................................................7 1.2 Gendered space.....................................................................................................................8 1.3 Voyeurism...............................................................................................................................9 1.4 Properties.............................................................................................................................11 1.5 Conclusions..........................................................................................................................12 Chapter 2: Public space....................……….…………………...……….….……………...…...…....……13 2.1 Desire......................................................................................................................................13 2.2 Confrontation and humiliation.....................................................................................14 2.3 Conclusions...........................................................................................................................16 Chapter 3: The in-between
    [Show full text]
  • Why Do We Use Latitude and Longitude? What Is the Equator?
    Where in the World? This lesson teaches the concepts of latitude and longitude with relation to the globe. Grades: 4, 5, 6 Disciplines: Geography, Math Before starting the activity, make sure each student has access to a globe or a world map that contains latitude and longitude lines. Why Do We Use Latitude and Longitude? The Earth is divided into degrees of longitude and latitude which helps us measure location and time using a single standard. When used together, longitude and latitude define a specific location through geographical coordinates. These coordinates are what the Global Position System or GPS uses to provide an accurate locational relay. Longitude and latitude lines measure the distance from the Earth's Equator or central axis - running east to west - and the Prime Meridian in Greenwich, England - running north to south. What Is the Equator? The Equator is an imaginary line that runs around the center of the Earth from east to west. It is perpindicular to the Prime Meridan, the 0 degree line running from north to south that passes through Greenwich, England. There are equal distances from the Equator to the north pole, and also from the Equator to the south pole. The line uniformly divides the northern and southern hemispheres of the planet. Because of how the sun is situated above the Equator - it is primarily overhead - locations close to the Equator generally have high temperatures year round. In addition, they experience close to 12 hours of sunlight a day. Then, during the Autumn and Spring Equinoxes the sun is exactly overhead which results in 12-hour days and 12-hour nights.
    [Show full text]
  • Skins Uk Download Season 1 Episode 1: Frankie
    skins uk download season 1 Episode 1: Frankie. Howard Jones - New Song Scene: Frankie in her room animating Strange Boys - You Can't Only Love When You Want Scene: Frankie turns up at college with a new look Aeroplane - We Cant Fly Scene: Frankie decides to go to the party anyway. Fergie - Glamorous Scene: Music playing from inside the club. Blondie - Heart of Glass Scene: Frankie tries to appeal to Grace and Liv but Mini chucks her out, then she gets kidnapped by Alo & Rich. British Sea Power - Waving Flags Scene: At the swimming pool. Skins Series 1 Complete Skins Series 2 Complete Skins Series 3 Complete Skins Series 4 Complete Skins Series 5 Complete Skins Series 6 Complete Skins - Effy's Favourite Moments Skins: The Novel. Watch Skins. Skins in an award-winning British teen drama that originally aired in January of 2007 and continues to run new seasons today. This show follows the lives of teenage friends that are living in Bristol, South West England. There are many controversial story lines that set this television show apart from others of it's kind. The cast is replaced every two seasons to bring viewers brand new story lines with entertaining and unique characters. The first generation of Skins follows teens Tony, Sid, Michelle, Chris, Cassie, Jal, Maxxie and Anwar. Tony is one of the most popular boys in sixth form and can be quite manipulative and sarcastic. Michelle is Tony's girlfriend, who works hard at her studies, is very mature, but always puts up with Tony's behavior.
    [Show full text]
  • Tony Romas Est
    TONY ROMAS EST. 1972 WAIKIKI Tony Roma’s Waikiki 1972 Kalakaua Ave, Honolulu, HI 96815 Monday - Sunday: 11AM — 11PM WORLD-FAMOUS ONION LOAF (HALF) APPETIZERS .99 KICKIN’ SHRIMP キッキンシュリンプ（小エビのフライ ピリ辛マヨソース） | 9 Fried shrimp, spicy cream sauce. STEAK & WILD MUSHROOM FLATBREAD | 12.99 Grilled beef tenderloin, Havarti cheese, crumbled bleu cheese, wild mushrooms, red peppers, chives, horseradish sauce. WORLD-FAMOUS ONION LOAF 特製フライドオニオンローフ Spanish onions, breaded, fried, Original BBQ sauce. HALF | 6.99 FULL | 9.99 POTATO SKINS | 8.49 Cheese, chives, bacon. Served with ranch dressing. ROMA’S SAMPLER 前菜３種の盛り合わせ | 14.99 A trio of appetizers - Potato skins, chicken tenderloins and a half onion loaf, served with three dipping sauces. CHICKEN TENDERS | 8.99 KICKIN’ SHRIMP Crispy chicken tenderloins, honey mustard. SPINACH ARTICHOKE DIP | 9.99 Spinach, artichoke hearts, Asiago, provolone, mozzarella cheeses, tortilla chips, sour cream, salsa. SOUP & SMALL SALADS SOUP OF THE DAY 本日のスープ BOWL | 4.49 CUP | 2.99 WITH ENTRÉE | 1.99 Ask your server for today’s selection! FRENCH ONION フレンチオニオンスープ | 5.99 Onion and beef broth, Provolone and Parmesan cheese. CLASSIC POTATO SOUP ベイクドポテトスープ BOWL | 4.49 CUP | 2.99 WITH ENTRÉE | 1.99 Topped with shredded Cheddar cheese, bacon, chives. ROMA’S DINNER SALAD ミックスグリーン サラダ | 4.99 WITH ENTRÉE | 2.99 ROMA’S CAESAR DINNER SALAD | 4.99 WITH ENTRÉE | 2.99 SALADS AVAILABLE SALAD DRESSINGS HONEY MUSTARD, RANCH, CAESAR, HAWAIIAN BALSAMIC VINAIGRETTE, PAN ASIAN, FAT FREE ITALIAN, GRILLED CHICKEN & FIRE TOMATO PESTO VINAIGRETTE, RED WINE VINAIGRETTE. ROASTED VEGETABLE SALAD ISLAND GRILLED MAHI SALAD | 15.99 Mojo grilled mahi mahi, Asian greens, pineapple salsa, grape tomatoes, macadamia nuts, cilantro, toasted flatbread, Hawaiian dressing.
    [Show full text]
  • Educator Guide
    E DUCATOR GUIDE This guide, and its contents, are Copyrighted and are the sole Intellectual Property of Science North. E DUCATOR GUIDE The Arctic has always been a place of mystery, myth and fascination. The Inuit and their predecessors adapted and thrived for thousands of years in what is arguably the harshest environment on earth. Today, the Arctic is the focus of intense research. Instead of seeking to conquer the north, scientist pioneers are searching for answers to some troubling questions about the impacts of human activities around the world on this fragile and largely uninhabited frontier. The giant screen film, Wonders of the Arctic, centers on our ongoing mission to explore and come to terms with the Arctic, and the compelling stories of our many forays into this captivating place will be interwoven to create a unifying message about the state of the Arctic today. Underlying all these tales is the crucial role that ice plays in the northern environment and the changes that are quickly overtaking the people and animals who have adapted to this land of ice and snow. This Education Guide to the Wonders of the Arctic film is a tool for educators to explore the many fascinating aspects of the Arctic. This guide provides background information on Arctic geography, wildlife and the ice, descriptions of participatory activities, as well as references and other resources. The guide may be used to prepare the students for the film, as a follow up to the viewing, or to simply stimulate exploration of themes not covered within the film.
    [Show full text]
  • Lions and Bison and Mollusks and More the UW’S Zoological Museum Trains Interns to Prepare and Display Specimens
    College of Letters & Science UNIVERSITY OF WISCONSIN-MADISON ZoologyNews for Alumni and Friends of the Department of Zoology NowWinter 2012 Lions and Bison and Mollusks and More The UW’s Zoological Museum trains interns to prepare and display specimens hree white-coated Tstudent interns huddle over the remains of a female African lion in the University of Wisconsin-Madison Zoological Museum’s specimen-preparation room. Huge paws, still furry and whole, hang over the table edge, while the students patiently pick at tendons and membranes in the exposed rib cage, neck, and skull. Once the skeleton is completely disarticulated, it will be sent to the flesh-eating dermestid beetle colony in a subterra- nean room near Birge Hall. Then, after the bones are thoroughly cleaned, they will be added to the museum’s osteology collection and made available for research purposes. Without interns to help with such difficult tasks, the museum could not accept specimens such as Vilas the lion, euthanized in the sum- mer of 2012 and donated by Madison’s Henry Vilas Zoo. For many students, this is their BILL FEENY first experience with hands-on activities in close association Museum intern and UW-Madison student Agnieszka Podraza with Galápagos tortoise and sea turtle skeletons. Thanks to a unique research agreement between UW-Madison and Ecuador, the giant with museum professionals. Galápagos tortoise skeleton (collected after the animal had died) was permitted to leave the country and (Continued on page 3) join the UW’s collection in Noland Hall. BILL FEENY Notes from the Chair These are exciting Zoology Now, we feature two vignettes: you is important to us! We’d love to times for Zoology one about Professor Tony Stretton, and hear what you are doing with your at UW-Madison! another about a popular course offered Zoology degree, whether you are With the exploding by the Zoological Museum.
    [Show full text]
  • A North American Perspective on the Volg (PDF)
    Quaternary International xxx (xxxx) xxx–xxx Contents lists available at ScienceDirect Quaternary International journal homepage: www.elsevier.com/locate/quaint A North American perspective on the Volgu Biface Cache from Upper Paleolithic France and its relationship to the “Solutrean Hypothesis” for Clovis origins J. David Kilby Department of Anthropology, Texas State University, San Marcos, TX, USA ARTICLE INFO ABSTRACT Keywords: The “Solutrean hypothesis” for the origins of the North American Clovis Culture posits that early North American Volgu colonizers were direct descendants of European populations that migrated across the North Atlantic during the Clovis European Upper Paleolithic. The evidential basis for this model rests largely on proposed technological and Solutrean behavioral similarities shared by the North American Clovis archaeological culture and the French and Iberian Cache Solutrean archaeological culture. The caching of stone tools by both cultures is one of the specific behavioral correlates put forth by proponents in support of the hypothesis. While more than two dozen Clovis caches have been identified, Volgu is the only Solutrean cache identified at this time. Volgu consists of at least 15 exquisitely manufactured bifacial stone tools interpreted as an artifact cache or ritual deposit, and the artifacts themselves have long been considered exemplary of the most refined Solutrean bifacial technology. This paper reports the results of applying methods developed for the comparative analysis of the relatively more abundant caches of Clovis materials in North America to this apparently singular Solutrean cache. In addition to providing a window into Solutrean technology and perhaps into Upper Paleolithic ritual behavior, this comparison of Clovis and Solutrean assemblages serves to test one of the tangible archaeological implications of the “Solutrean hypoth- esis” by evaluating the technological and behavioral equivalence of Solutrean and Clovis artifact caching.
    [Show full text]
  • Kamchatka Peninsula and Salmon Research with Pro Plus
    YSI Environmental Application Note Kamchatka Peninsula: Where the Waters Run Free and Salmon Thrive In Russia’s Far East lies the 1,250 km (780 mile) Kamchatka The habitat on the Kol is nearly ideal for salmon. The salmon run Peninsula. Situated between the Pacific Ocean and the Sea of includes over seven million fish returning to spawn. The fish fill Okhotsk, Kamchatka is home to Steller’s sea-eagles, brown bears, the river channel so fully that some sections block the view to the World Heritage List volcanoes, and a remarkable amount of Pacific river bottom. The Kol also has the world’s first whole-basin refuge salmon (genus Oncorhynchus) that are being studied, protected, and for the conservation of Pacific salmon - the Kol-Kekhta Regional even filmed for television. Experimental Salmon Reserve. Kamchatka may contain the world’s Research greatest diversity of salmonids including Along the Kol’s north bank is the Kol River chinook, chum, coho, seema, pink and Biostation established for the sole purpose sockeye salmon. Rainbow trout and dolly of serving as a binational research station varden char are also highly abundant. between Russia and the U.S. Researchers Biologists estimate at least 20% of all wild are studying the dynamics of the Kol Pacific salmon originates in Kamchatka. ecosystem and addressing the question of the importance of the salmon to the health The life of a salmon is far from easy as a of the entire river’s ecosystem. fish life goes. Millions of fry, roughly five inches long after a few months of growth, While there is no question to the have to navigate close to a hundred miles All six species of Pacific salmon spawn in the importance of the healthy ecosystem on to the sea.
    [Show full text]
  • On the Processes of Diversification in Microblade Technocomplexes in the Late 29 Glacial Hokkaido Yuichi Nakazawa and Satoru Yamada
    Nakazawa and Yamada On the Processes of Diversification in Microblade Technocom- plexes in the Late Glacial Hokkaido On the Processes of Diversification in Microblade Technocomplexes in the Late 29 Glacial Hokkaido Yuichi Nakazawa and Satoru Yamada ABSTRACT Microblade technology was a newly invented technology sented by the emergence of various technocomplexes in among modern humans in northeastern Asia during the the Late Glacial. The diversification processes occurred terminal Pleistocene. Because of its pan-regional distri- gradually at a millennial scale, suggesting that the tech- bution, wedge- shaped microblade cores have long been nological changes in microblade technocomplexes and regarded as a cultural marker and a technology critical tool assemblages resulted from demographic pressure. to debates concerning the peopling of the New World. In Hokkaido, where numerous Late Glacial archaeological Introduction sites are recorded, microblade assemblages exhibit nota- ble variability in stone tool classes and the morphotech- The past three decades have witnessed consistent debate nological characteristics of microblade cores. This paper focused on the origin of modern humans. As McBrearty addresses the questions of how and why the variability and Brooks (2000) demonstrated in Africa, the archaic in microblade technocomplexes emerged in Late Gla- to modern behavioral transition was gradual and is ex- cial Hokkaido (northern Japan). By employing a large pressed in certain aspects of the archaeological record data set of microblade technocomplexes from Hokkaido, (i.e., abstract thinking; planning depth; behavioral, eco- we measure richness and evenness of stone tool classes nomic, and technological innovativeness; and symbolic among four continuous phases (i.e., pre–Last Glacial behavior) that vary according to geographic region.
    [Show full text]
  • 1 Human Ecological Integration in Subarctic
    Human Ecological Integration in Subarctic Eastern Beringia Item Type text; Electronic Dissertation Authors Lanoe, Francois Publisher The University of Arizona. Rights Copyright © is held by the author. Digital access to this material is made possible by the University Libraries, University of Arizona. Further transmission, reproduction or presentation (such as public display or performance) of protected items is prohibited except with permission of the author. Download date 29/09/2021 22:48:17 Link to Item http://hdl.handle.net/10150/624542 HUMAN ECOLOGICAL INTEGRATION IN SUBARCTIC EASTERN BERINGIA By François B. Lanoë _________________________________ Copyright © François Lanoë 2017 A Dissertation Submitted to the Faculty of the SCHOOL OF ANTHROPOLOGY In Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements For the Degree of DOCTOR OF PHILOSOPHY In the Graduate College THE UNIVERSITY OF ARIZONA 2017 1 THE UNIVERSITY OF ARIZONA GRADUATE COLLEGE As members of the Dissertation Committee, we certify that we have read the dissertation prepared by François B. Lanoë titled “Human Ecological Integration in Subarctic Eastern Beringia” and recommend that it be accepted as fulfilling the dissertation requirement for the Degree of Doctor of Philosophy. Date: April 10th, 2017 Vance T. Holliday Date: April 10th, 2017 Steven L. Kuhn Date: April 10th, 2017 John W. Olsen Date: April 10th, 2017 Joshua D. Reuther Date: April 10th, 2017 Mary C. Stiner Final approval and acceptance of this dissertation is contingent upon the candidate's submission of the final copies of the dissertation to the Graduate College. I hereby certify that I have read this dissertation prepared under my direction and recommend that it be accepted as fulfilling the dissertation requirement.
    [Show full text]
  • CRP Table of Contents
    CURRENT RESEARCH IN THE PLEISTOCENE Vol. 11, 1994 Contents From the Editor ............................................................... vii Archaeology Paleoindian and Paleoecological Evidence from Farra Canyon, Oklahoma W. E. Banks, J. L. Hofman, and R. Patterson . .................................... 1 Paleoindian Occupation in the Upper Red River Region of North-Central Tennessee and South-Central Kentucky G. Barker .................................................................. 3 Recent Excavations at the Sunshine Locality, a Late Pleistocene/Early Holocene Site in Eastern Nevada C.Beck, G. T. Jones, and F. L. Nials . ............................................. 6 The Cooper Site: A Stratified Paleoindian Bison Kill in Northwest Oklahoma L. C. Bement ............................................................... 7 Paleoindian Site, Lithic, and Mastodon Distributions in Tennessee E. Breitburg and J. Broster . .................................................. 9 Eastern Clovis Adaptations in the Tennessee River Valley J. B. Broster, M. R. Norton, D. J. Stanford, C. V. Haynes, Jr., and M. A. Jodry ...............12 The Martins Creek Mastodon: A Paleoindian Butchery Site in Holmes County, Ohio N. Brush and F. Smith ........................................................14 Immunological Analysis of Flint Flakes from the Martins Creek Mastodon Site N. Brush, M. Newman, and F. Smith ..............................................16 Results of Blood Residue Analysis of a Late Paleoindian Projectile Point from Yellowstone National Park,
    [Show full text]