Analysis of Flaked Stone Lithics from Virgin Anasazi Sites Near Mt
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ANALYSIS OF FLAKED STONE LITHICS FROM VIRGIN ANASAZI SITES NEAR MT. TRUMBULL, ARIZONA STRIP by Cheryl Marie Martin Bachelor of Science in Education University of North Texas 1989 Master of Science University of North Texas 1991 A thesis submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the Master of Arts Degree in Anthropology Department of Anthropology and Ethnic Studies College of Liberal Arts Graduate College University of Nevada, Las Vegas December 2009 THE GRADUATE COLLEGE We recommend that the thesis prepared under our supervision by Cheryl Marie Martin entitled Analysis of Flaked Stone Lithics from Virgin Anasazi Sites near Mt. Trumbull, Arizona Strip be accepted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Arts Anthropology Barbara Roth, Committee Chair Karen Harry, Committee Member Paul Buck, Committee Member Stephen Rowland, Graduate Faculty Representative Ronald Smith, Ph. D., Vice President for Research and Graduate Studies and Dean of the Graduate College December 2009 ii ABSTRACT Analysis of Flaked Stone Lithics from Virgin Anasazi Sites near Mt. Trumbull, Arizona Strip by Cheryl Marie Martin Dr. Barbara Roth, Thesis Committee Chair Professor of Anthropology University of Nevada, Las Vegas This thesis examines flaked stone tools that were used by the Virgin Anasazi and the debitage resulting from their manufacture at six sites in the Mt. Trumbull region in order to infer past human behavior. The behaviors being examined include activities carried out at sites, the processing and use of raw stone materials, and patterns of regional exchange. I have applied obsidian sourcing technology and an analysis of flaked stone attributes. The research indicates a range of activities occurred at habitation sites at Mt. Trumbull, and toolmakers did not need to expend large amounts of time and energy on acquiring their lithic resources. Obsidian, although rare, was not so difficult to obtain or especially valued that it was highly conserved. The inhabitants of Mt. Trumbull obtained their obsidian through a dynamic system of interaction, but from different groups than those from which they acquired pottery, shell, and turquoise. iii ACKNOWLEGEMENTS I would like to express my appreciation to the Desert Research Institute’s Lander Endowment, the UNLV Graduate and Professional Student Association, and the Bureau of Land Management District Office in St. George, Utah for providing funding for this research. In addition, I would like to thank my committee members and the staff of UNLV’s Department of Anthropology for their encouragement and help getting me through the thesis process. I also appreciate the assistance I received from Craig Skinner of the Northwest Research Obsidian Studies Laboratory with regard to the obsidian analyses and George Billingsley of the USGS in Flagstaff on the material type evaluations. Dr. George Odell of the University of Oklahoma gave me excellent advice on use wear analyses issues, and Dr. N. Clayton Silver of UNLV made the statistics possible. I especially want to thank my mom, Sandy Martin, for all her patience and listening. iv TABLE OF CONTENTS ABSTRACT ...................................................................................................................... iii ACKNOWLEGEMENTS ................................................................................................. iv LIST OF TABLES ............................................................................................................ vi LIST OF FIGURES ....................................................................................................... viii CHAPTER 1 INTRODUCTION .................................................................................. 1 CHAPTER 2 ESTABLISHING AN INTERPRETIVE FRAMEWORK ................... 10 Formation Processes and the Mt. Trumbull Environment .................................... 21 CHAPTER 3 BACKGROUND INFORMATION ..................................................... 26 The Virgin Anasazi ............................................................................................... 26 Previous Research in the Mt. Trumbull Area ....................................................... 34 Virgin Anasazi Trade and Interaction Patterns ..................................................... 40 Regional Obsidian Trade and Interaction Patterns ............................................... 49 Adjacent Regional Obsidian Procurement Models ............................................... 51 CHAPTER 4 FLAKED STONE ANALYSIS - METHODS AND RESULTS ......... 54 Methods................................................................................................................. 54 Results of Flaked Stone Analysis ......................................................................... 62 AZ:A:12:136 (ASM) ............................................................................................. 62 AZ:A:12:14 (MNA) .............................................................................................. 74 AZ:A:12:204 (BLM) ............................................................................................. 84 AZ:A:12:214 (ASM) ............................................................................................. 91 AZ:A:12:30 (BLM) ............................................................................................... 98 AZ:A:12:71 (ASM) ............................................................................................. 107 Comparison of Results by Attribute ................................................................... 114 CHAPTER 5 OBSIDIAN STUDY - METHODS AND RESULTS ........................ 124 CHAPTER 6 SYNTHESIS AND CONCLUSIONS ................................................ 133 Research Questions ............................................................................................. 133 Summary ............................................................................................................. 142 Conclusions ......................................................................................................... 144 APPENDIX 1 DEFINITIONS .................................................................................... 146 APPENDIX 2 OBSIDIAN LAB REPORT ................................................................ 147 APPENDIX 3 OBSIDIAN SOURCE DESCRIPTIONS ............................................ 155 BIBLIOGRAPHY ........................................................................................................... 158 VITA ............................................................................................................................... 170 v LIST OF TABLES Table 1. Characteristics of each site collection and the number of artifacts analyzed. ..........................................................................................................55 Table 2. Summary of sites included in this analysis ordered by earliest 14C date. ........56 Table 3. List and definitions of lithic attributes recorded, and which research questions the attribute addresses. .....................................................................57 Table 4. Measurement and weight data for analyzed projectile points from site AZ:A:12:136 (ASM). .......................................................................................64 Table 5. Attributes of cores recovered from 136 (ASM) in order of unit and depth. ................................................................................................................66 Table 6. Edge-modified tools at site 136 (ASM). ..........................................................68 Table 7. Size and weight summaries of complete flakes in the sample assemblage from site 136 (ASM). .......................................................................................69 Table 8. Numbers and percentages of flakes and shatter in each raw material texture category for site 136 (ASM). ...............................................................69 Table 9. Measurement and weight data for analyzed projectile points from site AZ:A:12:14 (MNA). ........................................................................................77 Table 10. Attributes of cores recovered from 14 (MNA) in order of unit and depth. .....78 Table 11. Edge-modified tools at site AZ:A:12:14 (MNA). ............................................79 Table 12. Size and weight summaries of complete flakes in the sample assemblage from site AZ:A:12:14 (MNA). .........................................................................79 Table 13. Numbers and percentages of flakes and shatter in each raw material texture category for site AZ:A:12:14 (MNA). .................................................80 Table 14. Measurement and weight data for analyzed projectile points from site AZ:A:12:204 (BLM). .......................................................................................86 Table 15. Edge-modified tools at site AZ:A:12:204 (BLM). ..........................................87 Table 16. Size and weight summaries of complete flakes in the sample assemblage from site 204 (BLM). .......................................................................................88 Table 17. Numbers and percentages of flakes and shatter in each raw material texture category for site AZ:A:12:204 (BLM). ................................................88 Table 18. Measurement and weight data for analyzed projectile points from site AZ:A:12:214 (ASM). .......................................................................................92