Late Archaic to Early Woodland Lithic Technology at the Knob Creek Site (12Hr484), Harrison County, Indiana
Total Page:16
File Type:pdf, Size:1020Kb
University of Kentucky UKnowledge Theses and Dissertations--Anthropology Anthropology 2013 LATE ARCHAIC TO EARLY WOODLAND LITHIC TECHNOLOGY AT THE KNOB CREEK SITE (12HR484), HARRISON COUNTY, INDIANA Kyle E. Mullen University of Kentucky, [email protected] Right click to open a feedback form in a new tab to let us know how this document benefits ou.y Recommended Citation Mullen, Kyle E., "LATE ARCHAIC TO EARLY WOODLAND LITHIC TECHNOLOGY AT THE KNOB CREEK SITE (12HR484), HARRISON COUNTY, INDIANA" (2013). Theses and Dissertations--Anthropology. 11. https://uknowledge.uky.edu/anthro_etds/11 This Master's Thesis is brought to you for free and open access by the Anthropology at UKnowledge. It has been accepted for inclusion in Theses and Dissertations--Anthropology by an authorized administrator of UKnowledge. For more information, please contact [email protected]. STUDENT AGREEMENT: I represent that my thesis or dissertation and abstract are my original work. Proper attribution has been given to all outside sources. I understand that I am solely responsible for obtaining any needed copyright permissions. I have obtained and attached hereto needed written permission statements(s) from the owner(s) of each third-party copyrighted matter to be included in my work, allowing electronic distribution (if such use is not permitted by the fair use doctrine). I hereby grant to The University of Kentucky and its agents the non-exclusive license to archive and make accessible my work in whole or in part in all forms of media, now or hereafter known. I agree that the document mentioned above may be made available immediately for worldwide access unless a preapproved embargo applies. I retain all other ownership rights to the copyright of my work. I also retain the right to use in future works (such as articles or books) all or part of my work. I understand that I am free to register the copyright to my work. REVIEW, APPROVAL AND ACCEPTANCE The document mentioned above has been reviewed and accepted by the student’s advisor, on behalf of the advisory committee, and by the Director of Graduate Studies (DGS), on behalf of the program; we verify that this is the final, approved version of the student’s dissertation including all changes required by the advisory committee. The undersigned agree to abide by the statements above. Kyle E. Mullen, Student Dr. Christopher Pool, Major Professor Dr. Hsain Ilahiane, Director of Graduate Studies LATE ARCHAIC TO EARLY WOODLAND LITHIC TECHNOLOGY AT THE KNOB CREEK SITE (12HR484), HARRISON COUNTY, INDIANA ___________________________ THESIS ___________________________ A thesis submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Arts in the College of Arts and Sciences at the University of Kentucky By Kyle Edward Mullen Lexington, Kentucky Director: Dr. Christopher Pool, Professor of Anthropology Lexington, Kentucky 2013 Copyright © Kyle Edward Mullen ABSTRACT OF THESIS LATE ARCHAIC TO EARLY WOODLAND LITHIC TECHNOLOGY AT THE KNOB CREEK SITE (12HR484), HARRISON COUNTY, INDIANA This study examines bifacial technology change at the Knob Creek site (12HR484) in Harrison County, Indiana, from the Late Archaic to Early Woodland periods. Through a statistical and attribute analysis of 2,620 lithic flakes it was possible to detect changes in the lithic reduction process over time. The analysis demonstrates that soft-hammer percussion becomes more prevalent during the Early Woodland component of the site. This is a significant change from the hard-hammer percussion industry of the Lower Late Archaic. The Terminal Archaic Riverton component in this study offers one of the few detailed flake-by-flake analyses for this poorly understood lithic tradition originally identified by Winters (1969) in the Wabash River Valley. KEYWORDS: Lithic Technology, Riverton Culture, Caesars Archaeological Project, Archaic-Woodland Transition, Knob Creek Site Kyle Edward Mullen___________ July 25, 2013______________ LATE ARCHAIC TO EARLY WOODLAND LITHIC TECHNOLOGY AT THE KNOB CREEK SITE (12HR484), HARRISON COUNTY, INDIANA By Kyle Edward Mullen Dr. Christopher Pool___________ Director of Thesis Dr. Hsain Ilahiane___________ Director of Graduate Studies July 25, 2013______________ ACKNOWLEDGMENTS I would like to thank each of my committee members for their guidance and patience over the course of this thesis. A special thanks goes to Dr. Russell Stafford of Indiana State University. Dr. Stafford first got me interested in the Caesars Archaeological Project (CAP) and was generous enough to give me access to a sample of the debitage collection. This thesis would have been impossible without his guidance and support. I hope this thesis serves as a small contribution to the larger CAP directed by Dr. Stafford. His guidance cannot be overstated. Additionally, I’d like to thank my advisor, Dr. Christopher Pool. His help through the statistical analysis of my data served as an invaluable learning experience. Dr. Richard Jefferies has served as my primary mentor in lithic technology over the course of the last three years. Finally, Dr. Scott Hutson has served as a steady mentor throughout my time at the University of Kentucky. A big thanks to all! iii TABLE OF CONTENTS Acknowledgements ............................................................................................................ iii List of Tables .................................................................................................................... vii List of Figures ..................................................................................................................... x Chapter 1 – Introduction, Geographic Location, Geology, and CAP Background ............ 1 Location of the Knob Creek Site ................................................................................................. 5 Paleoenvironment ........................................................................................................................ 7 Geological Occurrence of Cherts ................................................................................................. 9 Muldraugh .............................................................................................................................. 10 Allens Creek........................................................................................................................... 11 Wyandotte .............................................................................................................................. 11 Late Archaic to Early Woodland Culture History in the Falls of the Ohio Region ................... 13 Late Archaic Period (5500-3500 BP) ..................................................................................... 15 Terminal Archaic (3500-2700 BP) ........................................................................................ 16 Early Woodland Period (2700-2200 BP) ............................................................................... 17 Background on the Caesars Archaeological Project .................................................................. 19 Site Layout at Knob Creek ..................................................................................................... 26 Tools at Knob Creek .................................................................................................................. 27 Lower Late Archaic ............................................................................................................... 27 Riverton ................................................................................................................................. 29 Early Woodland ..................................................................................................................... 30 Previous Debitage Research at 12HR484 .................................................................................. 32 Summary .................................................................................................................................... 34 Debitage ..................................................................................................................................... 37 iv The Biface Trajectory Model ..................................................................................................... 39 Site Function Models and Lithic Materials ................................................................................ 40 Assemblage Diversity and Site Function ................................................................................... 41 Sedentism and Lithics ................................................................................................................ 42 Lithic Production Process .......................................................................................................... 42 Raw Material Variability ........................................................................................................... 45 Summary .................................................................................................................................... 45 Chapter 3 - The Problem ................................................................................................... 47 Objective .................................................................................................................................... 49 Conclusion ................................................................................................................................