Current Approaches to the Analysis and Interpretation of Small Lithic Sites in the Northeast the UNIVERSITY of the STATE of NEW YORK
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Current Approaches to the Analysis and Interpretation of Small Lithic Sites in the Northeast THE UNIVERSITY OF THE STATE OF NEW YORK Regents of The University ROBERT M. BENNETT, Chancellor, B.A., M.S. Tonawanda MERRYL H. TISCH, Vice Chancellor, B.A., M.A. Ed.D. New York SAUL B. COHEN, B.A., M.A., Ph.D. New Rochelle JAMES C. DAWSON, A.A., B.A., M.S., Ph.D. Peru ANTHONY S. BOTTAR, B.A., J.D. Syracuse GERALDINE D. CHAPEY, B.A., M.A., Ed.D. Belle Harbor ARNOLD B. GARDNER, B.A., LL.B. Buffalo HARRY PHILLIPS, 3rd, B.A., M.S.F.S. Hartsdale JOSEPH E. BOWMAN,JR., B.A., M.L.S., M.A., M.Ed., Ed.D. Albany JAMES R. TALLON,JR., B.A., M.A. Binghamton MILTON L. COFIELD, B.S., M.B.A., Ph.D. Rochester ROGER B. TILLES, B.A., J.D. Great Neck KAREN BROOKS HOPKINS, B.A., M.F.A. Brooklyn NATALIE M. GOMEZ-VELEZ, B.A., J.D. Bronx CHARLES R. BENDIT,B.A. ............................................................................ NewYork President of The University and Commissioner of Education RICHARD P. MILLS Deputy Commissioner for Cultural Education JEFFREY W. CANNELL Director of the New York State Museum CLIFFORD A. SIEGFRIED Director, Research and Collections Division JOHN P. HART The State Education Department does not discriminate on the basis of age, color, religion, creed, disability, marital status, veteran status, national ori- gin, race, gender, genetic predisposition or carrier status, or sexual orientation in its educational programs, services and activities. Portions of this pub- lication can be made available in a variety of formats, including braille, large print or audio tape, upon request. Inquiries concerning this policy of nondiscrimination should be directed to the Department’s Office for Diversity, Ethics, and Access, Room 530, Education Building, Albany, NY 12234. Requests for additional copies of this publication may be made by contacting Publications Sales, Room 3140, Cultural Education Center, New York State Museum, Albany, NY 12230. ii Current Approaches to the Analysis and Interpretation of Small Lithic Sites in the Northeast Edited by Christina B. Rieth New York State Museum Bulletin Series 508 New York State Education Department, Albany © 2008 The New York State Education Department Printed in the United States of America Copies may be ordered from: Publication Sales 3140 CEC New York State Museum Albany, New York 12230 Phone: (518) 402-5344 Fax: (518) 486-2034 Email: [email protected] Library of Congress Catalog Card Number: 2007939912 ISSN: 0278-3355 ISBN: 1-55557-237-5 iv TABLE OF CONTENTS Preface ................................................................................................ ix Christina B. Rieth Chapter 1 Introduction ............................................................................................ 1 Christina B. Rieth DEFINING AND ASSESSING THE RESEARCH POTENTIAL OF SMALL LITHIC SITES Chapter 2 The “Lithic Scatter” as an Artifact of Field Testing . 11 Robert J. Hasenstab Chapter 3 Where There’s Smoke, There’s Fire: Criteria for Evaluation of Small Lithic Sites in the Northeast ....................... 37 Timothy L. Binzen Chapter 4 Strategies for Investigating and Interpreting Small Prehistoric Sites and Low Density Artifact Distributions: ExamplesfromtheHudsonDrainage ....................................................................... 41 Edward V. Curtin, Kerry L. Nelson, and Jessica E. Schreyer Chapter 5 Debitage Analysis: Lithic Reduction or Lithic Production? . 63 Niels R. Rinehart SMALL LITHIC SITES AND THEIR CONTRIBUTIONS TO LOCAL AND REGIONAL SETTLEMENT SYSTEMS Chapter 6 The Simple and the Complex: Two Middle Archaic Small Upland Lithic Sites in North Stonington, Connecticut . 77 Brian D. Jones Chapter 7 In Small Things Too Frequently Overlooked — Prehistoric Sites in the Pocono Uplands . 89 Philip A. Perazio Chapter 8 The Use of Lithic Resources in a Coastal Environment: Quartz Technology on Long Island, New York . 101 David J. Bernstein and Michael J. Lenardi Chapter 9 Glacial Micro Topographical Land Use Patterns in Upstate New York . 111 Sara A. Grills Chapter 10 Placing Stone Tool Production in Context: Interpreting Small Lithic Sites in The Upper Susquehanna River Valley . 121 Brian R. Grills MANAGING AND EVALUATING NATIONAL REGISTER SIGNIFICANCE OF SMALL LITHIC SITES Chapter 11 The Management and Preservation of Lithic Scatters: Two Strategies . 147 Laurie W. Rush, Amy Wood, and Margaret Schulz Chapter 12 The Evaluation of Lithic Scatters for the National Register of Historic Places: AConsiderationoftheCurrentStatusinNewYork ........................................................... 155 Cynthia Blakemore, Nancy Herter, and Douglas P. Mackey Chapter 13 A Summary of Existing Data from Pennsylvania Upland Sites . 167 Patricia E. Miller Chapter 14 Small Lithic Sites: Linking Significance with Context . 175 Nina M. Versaggi and Christopher D. Hohman Chapter 15 The Contribution of Prehistoric Archaeological Sites in Plowzone Context to Our Understanding of Past Cultural Behavior and Their Eligibility to the National Register of Historic Places . 187 Kurt W. Carr Chapter 16 Future Considerations for the Analysis and Interpretation of Small Lithic Sites in the Northeast . 203 Christina B. Rieth v LIST OF FIGURES Figure 2.1. The distribution of 33-cm STPs according to artifact counts, from the Potts Site. 16 Figure 2.2. The Scaccia Site floor plan subdivided in to a 30.5-cm grid. 17 Figure 2.3. Sampling simulation for the main artifact cluster at the Potts Site. 18 Figure 2.4. Results of sampling simulations on the Potts Site. 18 Figure 2.5. Distributions of 30-cm STPs according to counts of artifacts for a sample of sites. 19 Figure 2.6. Distribution of chances of encountering a feature with a 30-cm STP within a variety of sites. 20 Figure 2.7. Illustration of hypothesis test showing H(0) and H(1). 23 Figure 2.8. Minimum sample sizes required to claim that results are lower than would be expected. 24 Figure 2.9. Proposed arrangement for a 13-STP verification cluster. 26 Figure2.10. Cutoffforbetaprobabilityof.05. ............................................................................... 27 Figure 2.11. Dead-furrow trenching at the Westfield MCI Site. 31 Figure 2.12. Plan of dead-furrow trenches at Westfield MCI. 32 Figure 4.1. Waldemaier and Dunn-Prescott study areas in eastern New York State. 47 Figure 4.2. The topographic setting of the Waldenmaier sites. 48 Figure 4.3. Panoramic view of the Waldenmaier sites, looking west. 49 Figure 4.4. Artifact distribution, Waldenmaier prehistoric site 3. 49 Figure 4.5. Example of artifact density inside and outside of artifact concentrations. 53 Figure 4.6. Middle Archaic stemmed projectile point distribution, Dunn-Prescott project. 56 Figure 4.7. Late Archaic, Lamoka and Normanskill point distribution, Dunn-Prescott project. 57 Figure 5.1. Outline describing Goals and Methods of Debitage Analysis. 64 Figure 5.2a. Direction of Archaeological Inference from Debitage Assemblage to Tool, to Material Constraint. 66 Figure 5.2b. Assumed Direction of Past Production Processes Resulting in Debitage Assemblages. 66 Figure 6.1. Middle Archaic sites mentioned in the text shown with adjacent wetland formations. 78 Figure 6.2. Quartzite Neville variant drill, expedient projectile point and possible utilized flake from site 102-83. 80 Figure 6.3. Site 102-83 quartzite and quartz artifact density per 50x50cm quadrat and tool locations. 81 Figure 6.4. Middle Archaic preforms and bifaces from site 102-57. 82 Figure 6.5. Middle Archaic projectile points and fragments from site 102-57. ..