Richie Rosencrance | University of Nevada, Reno (original) (raw)

Papers by Richie Rosencrance

Journal of California and Great Basin Anthropology, 2023

PaleoAmerica, 2022

Researchers at Arroyo del Vizcaíno (AdV), Uruguay, have argued that human occupation dates prior ... more Researchers at Arroyo del Vizcaíno (AdV), Uruguay, have argued that human occupation dates prior to the Last Glacial Maximum (33,000-31,000 cal BP) based on the presence of purported stone tools and cutmarks on bones. We provide a summary of their research and critically evaluate these claims. We conclude that the claims of a pre-LGM occupation at AdV are unsupported due to: (1) equivocal evidence that the purported stone tools are culturally modified; (2) insufficiently documented spatial and contextual information; (3) inadequate geological research leading to an unconvincing site formation model; and (4) inadequate testing of alternative hypotheses for bones with surface modifications. We conclude that the site is best interpreted as a natural time-transgressive accumulation of mammal bones and other organic and inorganic materials within a fluvial setting spanning four millennia, and that bone surface modifications are the product of natural site formation processes rather than human agency.

American Antiquity, 2022

Robert Heizer excavated Leonard Rockshelter (26Pe14) in western Nevada more than 70 years ago. He... more Robert Heizer excavated Leonard Rockshelter (26Pe14) in western Nevada more than 70 years ago. He described stratified cultural deposits spanning the Holocene. He also reported obsidian flakes purportedly associated with late Pleistocene sediments, suggesting that human use extended even farther back in time. Because Heizer never produced a final report, Leonard Rockshelter faded into obscurity despite the possibility that it might contain a Clovis Era or older occupation. That possibility prompted our team of researchers from the University of Nevada, Reno and Desert Research Institute to return to the site in 2018 and 2019. We relocated the excavation block from which Heizer both recovered the flakes and obtained a late Pleistocene date on nearby sediments. We minimally excavated undisturbed deposits to rerecord and redate the strata. As an independent means of evaluating Heizer's findings, we also directly dated 12 organic artifacts housed at the Phoebe A. Hearst Museum of Anthropology. Our work demonstrates that people did not visit Leonard Rockshelter during the late Pleistocene. Rather, they first visited the site immediately following the Younger Dryas (12,900-11,700 cal BP) and sporadically used the shelter, mostly to store gear, throughout the Holocene.

American Antiquity, 2022

Paleoethnobotanical perspectives are essential for understanding past lifeways yet continue to be... more Paleoethnobotanical perspectives are essential for understanding past lifeways yet continue to be underrepresented in Paleoindian research. We present new archaeobotanical and radiocarbon data from combustion features within stratified cultural components at Connley Caves, Oregon, that reaffirm the inclusion of plants in the diet of Paleoindian groups. Botanical remains from three features in Connley Cave 5 show that people foraged for diverse dryland taxa and a narrow range of wetland plants during the summer and fall months. These data add new taxa to the known Pleistocene food economy and support the idea that groups equipped with Western Stemmed Tradition toolkits had broad, flexible diets. When viewed continentally, this work contributes to a growing body of research indicating that regionally adapted subsistence strategies were in place by at least the Younger Dryas and that some foragers in the Far West may have incorporated a wider range of plants including small seeds, leafy greens, fruits, cacti, and geophytes into their diet earlier than did Paleoindian groups elsewhere in North America. The increasing appearance of diverse and seemingly low-ranked resources in the emerging Paleoindian plant-food economy suggests the need to explore a variety of nutritional variables to explain certain aspects of early foraging behavior.

Journal of Anthropological Archaeology, 2019

We use data on site distributions, chronology, and artifact assemblages from a large, flat upland... more We use data on site distributions, chronology, and artifact assemblages from a large, flat upland landscape on Santa Rosa Island to better understand the relationship between coastal and interior settlement patterns on California's northern Channel Islands. This region, Pocket Field, was an important hub of occupation during the late Pleistocene/early Holocene (before 7550 cal BP) and throughout the late Holocene (3600-168 cal BP). A radiocarbon chronology for the region suggests that settlement patterns are consistent with what has been observed in coastal locations, with an increase in site density throughout the late Holocene. Groundstone is an important component of the late Holocene archaeological record, although it decreases in importance following the droughts of the Medieval Climatic Anomaly (MCA; 1150-600 cal BP). Olivella biplicata shell bead production at dense midden sites indicates that occupation of the region was not just for access to terrestrial resources. An increase in sites with projectile points during the MCA may reflect an increase in interpersonal violence and indicate that increasing territoriality that occurred on the coast may have extended into the island interior. Our study demonstrates that interior sites were integral components of island settlement and subsistence patterns, even when diet is heavily marine-oriented.

American Antiquity, 2021

A single radiocarbon date derived from the Buhl burial in south-central Idaho has frequently been... more A single radiocarbon date derived from the Buhl burial in south-central Idaho has frequently been used as a data point for the interpretation of the Western Stemmed Tradition (WST) chronology and technology because of the stemmed biface found in situ with the human remains. AMS dating of bone collagen in 1991 produced an age of 10,675 ± 95 14 C BP, immediately postdating the most widely accepted age range for Clovis. The Buhl burial has been cited as evidence that stemmed point technology may have overlapped with Clovis technology in the Intermountain West. We discuss concerns about the radiocarbon date, arguing that even at face value, the calibrated date has minimal overlap with Clovis at the 95.4% range. Furthermore, the C:N ratio of 3.69 in the analyzed collagen is outside of the typical range for well-preserved samples, indicating a postdepositional change in carbon composition, which may make the date erroneously older or younger than the age of the skeleton. Finally, the potential dietary incorporation of small amounts of anadromous fish may indicate that the burial is younger than traditionally accepted. For these reasons, we argue that the Buhl burial cannot be used as evidence of overlap between WST and Clovis. Una fecha por radiocarbono única derivada del entierro de Buhl en la central sur de Idaho se usa frecuentemente como un punto de dato para la interpretación de la cronología y la tecnología de la Tradición de Tallo Occidental (WST) como resul-tado de la presencia de una herramienta bifacial con tallo encontrada in situ con los restos humanos. El fechado con aceler-ador para espectrometría de masas (AMS) de colágeno de hueso en 1991 indicó una fecha de 10.675 ± 95 14 C BP, inmediatamente después el rango de fechas aceptadas de Clovis. El entierro de Buhl ha sido citado como evidencia que quizás la tecnología de puntos de proyectiles con tallos traslapó con la tecnología de Clovis en la región Oeste Intermontano. Revi-samos preocupaciones sobre la fecha por radiocarbono, discutiendo que, incluso a valor aparente, la fecha calibrada tiene superposición mínima con las de Clovis al rango de 95,4%. Además, el proporción de C:N de 3,69 en el colágeno analizado está fuera del rango típico para muestras bien conservadas, que indica un cambio después de deposición en la composición del carbono, cuyo puede hacer erróneamente la fecha aparecer más viejo o más joven que la fecha verdadera de los restos. Final-mente, la incorporación dietaría potencial de cantidades pequeñas de pescados anádromos puede indicar que los restos son más jóvenes que se piensa previamente. Por estas razones, discutimos que el entierro de Buhl no se puede usar como evidencia por el traslapo de WST y Clovis.

American Antiquity, 2020

A single radiocarbon date derived from the Buhl burial in south-central Idaho has frequently been... more A single radiocarbon date derived from the Buhl burial in south-central Idaho has frequently been used as a data point for the interpretation of the Western Stemmed Tradition (WST) chronology and technology because of the stemmed biface found in situ with the human remains. AMS dating of bone collagen in 1991 produced an age of 10,675 ± 95 14 C BP, immediately postdating the most widely accepted age range for Clovis. The Buhl burial has been cited as evidence that stemmed point technology may have overlapped with Clovis technology in the Intermountain West. We discuss concerns about the radiocarbon date, arguing that even at face value, the calibrated date has minimal overlap with Clovis at the 95.4% range. Furthermore, the C:N ratio of 3.69 in the analyzed collagen is outside of the typical range for well-preserved samples, indicating a postdepositional change in carbon composition, which may make the date erroneously older or younger than the age of the skeleton. Finally, the potential dietary incorporation of small amounts of anadromous fish may indicate that the burial is younger than traditionally accepted. For these reasons, we argue that the Buhl burial cannot be used as evidence of overlap between WST and Clovis. Una fecha por radiocarbono única derivada del entierro de Buhl en la central sur de Idaho se usa frecuentemente como un punto de dato para la interpretación de la cronología y la tecnología de la Tradición de Tallo Occidental (WST) como resul-tado de la presencia de una herramienta bifacial con tallo encontrada in situ con los restos humanos. El fechado con aceler-ador para espectrometría de masas (AMS) de colágeno de hueso en 1991 indicó una fecha de 10.675 ± 95 14 C BP, inmediatamente después el rango de fechas aceptadas de Clovis. El entierro de Buhl ha sido citado como evidencia que quizás la tecnología de puntos de proyectiles con tallos traslapó con la tecnología de Clovis en la región Oeste Intermontano. Revi-samos preocupaciones sobre la fecha por radiocarbono, discutiendo que, incluso a valor aparente, la fecha calibrada tiene superposición mínima con las de Clovis al rango de 95,4%. Además, el proporción de C:N de 3,69 en el colágeno analizado está fuera del rango típico para muestras bien conservadas, que indica un cambio después de deposición en la composición del carbono, cuyo puede hacer erróneamente la fecha aparecer más viejo o más joven que la fecha verdadera de los restos. Final-mente, la incorporación dietaría potencial de cantidades pequeñas de pescados anádromos puede indicar que los restos son más jóvenes que se piensa previamente. Por estas razones, discutimos que el entierro de Buhl no se puede usar como evidencia por el traslapo de WST y Clovis.

Journal of California and Great Basin Anthropology, 2019

Lithic analysis of a large artifact collection from the Grove Ranch in Pueblo Valley, Oregon, con... more Lithic analysis of a large artifact collection from the Grove Ranch in Pueblo Valley, Oregon, contributes new insights involving a relatively understudied area of the northern Great Basin. The diversity and density of artifacts from the Grove Ranch indicate a consistent use of the site throughout the Holocene, and source provenance analysis elucidates diachronic conveyance patterns. The overall suite of raw materials suggests a localized conveyance zone that included the southern Alvord Basin and areas to the southwest. Late Holocene arrow points from Grove Ranch were made from more diverse sources than middle Holocene dart points. A single Desert Side-notched point is made from Bear Gulch obsidian from 600 km. away in eastern Idaho, and may be related to an influx of people from the Snake River Plain during the latest Holocene. This research demonstrates the value of donated collections and the impact they can have on areas where little previous archaeological research has been conducted.

Journal of Anthropological Archaeology, 2019

We use data on site distributions, chronology, and artifact assemblages from a large, flat upland... more We use data on site distributions, chronology, and artifact assemblages from a large, flat upland landscape on Santa Rosa Island to better understand the relationship between coastal and interior settlement patterns on California's northern Channel Islands. This region, Pocket Field, was an important hub of occupation during the late Pleistocene/early Holocene (before 7550 cal BP) and throughout the late Holocene (3600-168 cal BP). A radiocarbon chronology for the region suggests that settlement patterns are consistent with what has been observed in coastal locations, with an increase in site density throughout the late Holocene. Groundstone is an important component of the late Holocene archaeological record, although it decreases in importance following the droughts of the Medieval Climatic Anomaly (MCA; 1150-600 cal BP). Olivella biplicata shell bead production at dense midden sites indicates that occupation of the region was not just for access to terrestrial resources. An increase in sites with projectile points during the MCA may reflect an increase in interpersonal violence and indicate that increasing territoriality that occurred on the coast may have extended into the island interior. Our study demonstrates that interior sites were integral components of island settlement and subsistence patterns, even when diet is heavily marine-oriented.

Reinvestigating Cougar Mountain Cave: New Perspectives on Stratigraphy, Chronology, and a Younger Dryas Occupation in the Northern Great Basin, 2019

to evaluate the potential for further research, collecting additional lithic and fiber artifacts ... more to evaluate the potential for further research, collecting additional lithic and fiber artifacts from disturbed deposits and in situ charcoal from apparently undisturbed deposits. Because Cowles took few notes or photographs, the Cougar Mountain Cave collection-most of which is housed at the Favell Museum in Klamath Falls, Oregon-has largely gone unstudied even though it contains diagnostic artifacts spanning the Holocene and, potentially, the terminal Pleistocene. We recently submitted charcoal and basketry from the site for radiocarbon dating, providing the first reliable sense of when Cougar Mountain Cave was first occupied. Our results indicate at least a Younger Dryas age for initial occupation. The directly dated basketry has provided new information about the age ranges and spatial distributions of diagnostic textile types in the northwestern Great Basin. La Cueva de Cougar Mountain se encuentra en la Cuenca de Fort Rock, en Oregón. En 1958, el arqueólogo vocacional John Cowles excavó la mayor parte de los depósitos de la cueva y recuperó abundantes artefactos de fibra, piedra tallada, madera y hueso. Un equipo de la Universidad de California, Davis, regresó al sitio en 1966 para evaluar su potencial investigativo. Durante esta visita también se recolectaron nuevos artefactos líticos y de fibra de los depósitos perturbados y se tomaron muestras de carbón in situ de depósitos aparentemente intactos. Debido a que Cowles tomó pocas notas o fotografías, la colección de la Cueva de Cougar Mountain, la mayoría de la cual está almacenada en el Museo Favell en Klamath Falls, Oregón, ha quedado sin estudiar, a pesar de que contiene artefactos que abarcan el Holoceno y, potencialmente, el Pleistoceno terminal. Hace poco sometimos muestras de carbón y cestería del sitio a datación por radiocarbono, lo que nos proporcionó una primera estimación confiable de la ocupación inicial en la Cueva de Cougar Mountain. Nuestros resultados indican que la ocupación inicial ocurrió por lo menos en el Dryas Reciente. La cestería, que fue fechada directamente, nos proporciona nueva información sobre los rangos de edad y la distribución espacial de tipos de textiles diagnósticos en el noroeste de la Gran Cuenca.

Marine-shell beads have been recovered from numerous archaeological sites throughout the Intermou... more Marine-shell beads have been recovered from numerous archaeological sites throughout the Intermountain West. Direct radiocarbon determinations and typological cross-dating indicate that groups conveyed beads long distances inland throughout the Holocene. Because the oxygen and carbon isotopic signatures of Callianax (previously Olivella) sp. snail shells reflect local sea surface temperature, researchers over the past 15 years have started to assign beads to source regions (stretches of the coast from which people collected shells). We report radiocarbon and stable isotope data for a Callianax biplicata bead from Oregon's Hawksy Walksy Valley, the only bead that has been recovered from this archaeologically important region. These data indicate that the bead was conveyed ~400 km. inland at 480–285 cal B.P. from somewhere along the Oregon or northern California coasts. We place these results within the context of other provenance studies of beads in the northern Great Basin to add to our understanding of how, when, and from where coastal producers conveyed shell beads to inland consumers.

PaleoAmerica, 2018

Surface sites play a vital role in interpreting terminal Pleistocene/early Holocene (TP/EH) lifew... more Surface sites play a vital role in interpreting terminal Pleistocene/early Holocene (TP/EH) lifeways in the Great Basin. Two years of work in Oregon’s Guano Valley by crews from the University of Nevada, Reno have revealed a rich record of Western Stemmed Tradition occupations associated with an extensive delta system that brought freshwater into the valley from the adjacent tablelands. To date, we have recorded nearly 700 diagnostic TP/EH artifacts within the relatively small delta, making it one of the densest concentrations of Paleoindian artifacts in the region. This paper presents preliminary results from our archaeological and geomorphological investigations in Guano Valley as well as an extensive toolstone source provenance analysis.

Current Archaeological Happenings in Oregon, 2018

The Connley Caves consist of eight south-facing wave cut rockshelters situated on the edge of Pau... more The Connley Caves consist of eight south-facing wave cut rockshelters situated on the edge of Paulina Marsh in central Oregon’s Fort Rock Basin. The site has featured prominently in discussion of Great Basin prehistory since Stephen Bedwell’s excavation during the late 1960’s. Bedwell’s expedient excavations produced a wealth of artifacts and radiocarbon dates spanning from the late Pleistocene to the late Holocene (Bedwell 1970). The validity of Bedwell’s assertions, particularly the oldest radiocarbon dates, have long be questioned by archaeologists. To evaluate Bedwell’s claims, the University of Oregon (UO) archaeological field school returned to the Connley Caves for two seasons from 2000 to 2001, and an additional five between 2014 and 2018. Efforts in 2000 and 2001 focused on areas outside the driplines of Cave 6 and Cave 5, revealing that large portions of the upper strata were significantly disturbed but deeper deposits were intact. At that time a modest number of radiocarbon, obsidian sourcing, and hydration samples were processed to assess potential for future work.

The field school returned to the Connley Caves in 2014 and has since focused excavation efforts on Caves 2, 4, and 5. Preliminary results of Cave 4 and 5 excavations were recently reported in CAHO (McDonough and Jenkins 2018) and PaleoAmerica (Jenkins et al. 2017). Ongoing botanical, faunal, artifact, and geoarchaeological analyses will be presented at the upcoming Great Basin Anthropological Conference in Salt Lake City, Utah (November 7th-10th 2018), the Society for American Archaeology Annual Meeting in Albuquerque, New Mexico (April 10-14, 2019), and a publication on Cave 4 assemblages is currently in progress. In this paper we provide a brief review of the 2017 and 2018 excavations conducted in Caves 2 and 5 with an emphasis on student involvement and future research directions.

Paleoindian era archaeological materials remain significantly understudied in West Virginia. This... more Paleoindian era archaeological materials remain significantly understudied in West Virginia. This brief provides the first summary of West Virginian Paleoindian artifacts in 50 years and reports 13 newly identified specimens. Most artifacts derive from the Ohio and Kanawha river valleys but new finds including fluted, Quad, Beaver Lake, and Dalton point types from some of the most mountainous portions of the state suggest that early groups also utilized interior river valleys and uplands.

Journal of California and Great Basin Anthropology, 2018

Marine-shell beads have been recovered from numerous archaeological sites throughout the Intermou... more Marine-shell beads have been recovered from numerous archaeological sites throughout the Intermountain West. Direct radiocarbon determinations and typological cross-dating indicate that groups conveyed beads long distances inland throughout the Holocene. Because the oxygen and carbon isotopic signatures of Callianax (previously Olivella) sp. snail shells reflect local sea surface temperature, researchers over the past 15 years have started to assign beads to source regions (stretches of the coast from which people collected shells). We report radiocarbon and stable isotope data for a Callianax biplicata bead from Oregon's Hawksy Walksy Valley, the only bead that has been recovered from this archaeologically important region. These data indicate that the bead was conveyed ~400 km. inland at 480–285 cal B.P. from somewhere along the Oregon or northern California coasts. We place these results within the context of other provenance studies of beads in the northern Great Basin to add to our understanding of how, when, and from where coastal producers conveyed shell beads to inland consumers.

Journal of California and Great Basin Anthropology, 2023

PaleoAmerica, 2022

Researchers at Arroyo del Vizcaíno (AdV), Uruguay, have argued that human occupation dates prior ... more Researchers at Arroyo del Vizcaíno (AdV), Uruguay, have argued that human occupation dates prior to the Last Glacial Maximum (33,000-31,000 cal BP) based on the presence of purported stone tools and cutmarks on bones. We provide a summary of their research and critically evaluate these claims. We conclude that the claims of a pre-LGM occupation at AdV are unsupported due to: (1) equivocal evidence that the purported stone tools are culturally modified; (2) insufficiently documented spatial and contextual information; (3) inadequate geological research leading to an unconvincing site formation model; and (4) inadequate testing of alternative hypotheses for bones with surface modifications. We conclude that the site is best interpreted as a natural time-transgressive accumulation of mammal bones and other organic and inorganic materials within a fluvial setting spanning four millennia, and that bone surface modifications are the product of natural site formation processes rather than human agency.

American Antiquity, 2022

Robert Heizer excavated Leonard Rockshelter (26Pe14) in western Nevada more than 70 years ago. He... more Robert Heizer excavated Leonard Rockshelter (26Pe14) in western Nevada more than 70 years ago. He described stratified cultural deposits spanning the Holocene. He also reported obsidian flakes purportedly associated with late Pleistocene sediments, suggesting that human use extended even farther back in time. Because Heizer never produced a final report, Leonard Rockshelter faded into obscurity despite the possibility that it might contain a Clovis Era or older occupation. That possibility prompted our team of researchers from the University of Nevada, Reno and Desert Research Institute to return to the site in 2018 and 2019. We relocated the excavation block from which Heizer both recovered the flakes and obtained a late Pleistocene date on nearby sediments. We minimally excavated undisturbed deposits to rerecord and redate the strata. As an independent means of evaluating Heizer's findings, we also directly dated 12 organic artifacts housed at the Phoebe A. Hearst Museum of Anthropology. Our work demonstrates that people did not visit Leonard Rockshelter during the late Pleistocene. Rather, they first visited the site immediately following the Younger Dryas (12,900-11,700 cal BP) and sporadically used the shelter, mostly to store gear, throughout the Holocene.

American Antiquity, 2022

Paleoethnobotanical perspectives are essential for understanding past lifeways yet continue to be... more Paleoethnobotanical perspectives are essential for understanding past lifeways yet continue to be underrepresented in Paleoindian research. We present new archaeobotanical and radiocarbon data from combustion features within stratified cultural components at Connley Caves, Oregon, that reaffirm the inclusion of plants in the diet of Paleoindian groups. Botanical remains from three features in Connley Cave 5 show that people foraged for diverse dryland taxa and a narrow range of wetland plants during the summer and fall months. These data add new taxa to the known Pleistocene food economy and support the idea that groups equipped with Western Stemmed Tradition toolkits had broad, flexible diets. When viewed continentally, this work contributes to a growing body of research indicating that regionally adapted subsistence strategies were in place by at least the Younger Dryas and that some foragers in the Far West may have incorporated a wider range of plants including small seeds, leafy greens, fruits, cacti, and geophytes into their diet earlier than did Paleoindian groups elsewhere in North America. The increasing appearance of diverse and seemingly low-ranked resources in the emerging Paleoindian plant-food economy suggests the need to explore a variety of nutritional variables to explain certain aspects of early foraging behavior.

Journal of Anthropological Archaeology, 2019

We use data on site distributions, chronology, and artifact assemblages from a large, flat upland... more We use data on site distributions, chronology, and artifact assemblages from a large, flat upland landscape on Santa Rosa Island to better understand the relationship between coastal and interior settlement patterns on California's northern Channel Islands. This region, Pocket Field, was an important hub of occupation during the late Pleistocene/early Holocene (before 7550 cal BP) and throughout the late Holocene (3600-168 cal BP). A radiocarbon chronology for the region suggests that settlement patterns are consistent with what has been observed in coastal locations, with an increase in site density throughout the late Holocene. Groundstone is an important component of the late Holocene archaeological record, although it decreases in importance following the droughts of the Medieval Climatic Anomaly (MCA; 1150-600 cal BP). Olivella biplicata shell bead production at dense midden sites indicates that occupation of the region was not just for access to terrestrial resources. An increase in sites with projectile points during the MCA may reflect an increase in interpersonal violence and indicate that increasing territoriality that occurred on the coast may have extended into the island interior. Our study demonstrates that interior sites were integral components of island settlement and subsistence patterns, even when diet is heavily marine-oriented.

American Antiquity, 2021

A single radiocarbon date derived from the Buhl burial in south-central Idaho has frequently been... more A single radiocarbon date derived from the Buhl burial in south-central Idaho has frequently been used as a data point for the interpretation of the Western Stemmed Tradition (WST) chronology and technology because of the stemmed biface found in situ with the human remains. AMS dating of bone collagen in 1991 produced an age of 10,675 ± 95 14 C BP, immediately postdating the most widely accepted age range for Clovis. The Buhl burial has been cited as evidence that stemmed point technology may have overlapped with Clovis technology in the Intermountain West. We discuss concerns about the radiocarbon date, arguing that even at face value, the calibrated date has minimal overlap with Clovis at the 95.4% range. Furthermore, the C:N ratio of 3.69 in the analyzed collagen is outside of the typical range for well-preserved samples, indicating a postdepositional change in carbon composition, which may make the date erroneously older or younger than the age of the skeleton. Finally, the potential dietary incorporation of small amounts of anadromous fish may indicate that the burial is younger than traditionally accepted. For these reasons, we argue that the Buhl burial cannot be used as evidence of overlap between WST and Clovis. Una fecha por radiocarbono única derivada del entierro de Buhl en la central sur de Idaho se usa frecuentemente como un punto de dato para la interpretación de la cronología y la tecnología de la Tradición de Tallo Occidental (WST) como resul-tado de la presencia de una herramienta bifacial con tallo encontrada in situ con los restos humanos. El fechado con aceler-ador para espectrometría de masas (AMS) de colágeno de hueso en 1991 indicó una fecha de 10.675 ± 95 14 C BP, inmediatamente después el rango de fechas aceptadas de Clovis. El entierro de Buhl ha sido citado como evidencia que quizás la tecnología de puntos de proyectiles con tallos traslapó con la tecnología de Clovis en la región Oeste Intermontano. Revi-samos preocupaciones sobre la fecha por radiocarbono, discutiendo que, incluso a valor aparente, la fecha calibrada tiene superposición mínima con las de Clovis al rango de 95,4%. Además, el proporción de C:N de 3,69 en el colágeno analizado está fuera del rango típico para muestras bien conservadas, que indica un cambio después de deposición en la composición del carbono, cuyo puede hacer erróneamente la fecha aparecer más viejo o más joven que la fecha verdadera de los restos. Final-mente, la incorporación dietaría potencial de cantidades pequeñas de pescados anádromos puede indicar que los restos son más jóvenes que se piensa previamente. Por estas razones, discutimos que el entierro de Buhl no se puede usar como evidencia por el traslapo de WST y Clovis.

American Antiquity, 2020

A single radiocarbon date derived from the Buhl burial in south-central Idaho has frequently been... more A single radiocarbon date derived from the Buhl burial in south-central Idaho has frequently been used as a data point for the interpretation of the Western Stemmed Tradition (WST) chronology and technology because of the stemmed biface found in situ with the human remains. AMS dating of bone collagen in 1991 produced an age of 10,675 ± 95 14 C BP, immediately postdating the most widely accepted age range for Clovis. The Buhl burial has been cited as evidence that stemmed point technology may have overlapped with Clovis technology in the Intermountain West. We discuss concerns about the radiocarbon date, arguing that even at face value, the calibrated date has minimal overlap with Clovis at the 95.4% range. Furthermore, the C:N ratio of 3.69 in the analyzed collagen is outside of the typical range for well-preserved samples, indicating a postdepositional change in carbon composition, which may make the date erroneously older or younger than the age of the skeleton. Finally, the potential dietary incorporation of small amounts of anadromous fish may indicate that the burial is younger than traditionally accepted. For these reasons, we argue that the Buhl burial cannot be used as evidence of overlap between WST and Clovis. Una fecha por radiocarbono única derivada del entierro de Buhl en la central sur de Idaho se usa frecuentemente como un punto de dato para la interpretación de la cronología y la tecnología de la Tradición de Tallo Occidental (WST) como resul-tado de la presencia de una herramienta bifacial con tallo encontrada in situ con los restos humanos. El fechado con aceler-ador para espectrometría de masas (AMS) de colágeno de hueso en 1991 indicó una fecha de 10.675 ± 95 14 C BP, inmediatamente después el rango de fechas aceptadas de Clovis. El entierro de Buhl ha sido citado como evidencia que quizás la tecnología de puntos de proyectiles con tallos traslapó con la tecnología de Clovis en la región Oeste Intermontano. Revi-samos preocupaciones sobre la fecha por radiocarbono, discutiendo que, incluso a valor aparente, la fecha calibrada tiene superposición mínima con las de Clovis al rango de 95,4%. Además, el proporción de C:N de 3,69 en el colágeno analizado está fuera del rango típico para muestras bien conservadas, que indica un cambio después de deposición en la composición del carbono, cuyo puede hacer erróneamente la fecha aparecer más viejo o más joven que la fecha verdadera de los restos. Final-mente, la incorporación dietaría potencial de cantidades pequeñas de pescados anádromos puede indicar que los restos son más jóvenes que se piensa previamente. Por estas razones, discutimos que el entierro de Buhl no se puede usar como evidencia por el traslapo de WST y Clovis.

Journal of California and Great Basin Anthropology, 2019

Lithic analysis of a large artifact collection from the Grove Ranch in Pueblo Valley, Oregon, con... more Lithic analysis of a large artifact collection from the Grove Ranch in Pueblo Valley, Oregon, contributes new insights involving a relatively understudied area of the northern Great Basin. The diversity and density of artifacts from the Grove Ranch indicate a consistent use of the site throughout the Holocene, and source provenance analysis elucidates diachronic conveyance patterns. The overall suite of raw materials suggests a localized conveyance zone that included the southern Alvord Basin and areas to the southwest. Late Holocene arrow points from Grove Ranch were made from more diverse sources than middle Holocene dart points. A single Desert Side-notched point is made from Bear Gulch obsidian from 600 km. away in eastern Idaho, and may be related to an influx of people from the Snake River Plain during the latest Holocene. This research demonstrates the value of donated collections and the impact they can have on areas where little previous archaeological research has been conducted.

Journal of Anthropological Archaeology, 2019

We use data on site distributions, chronology, and artifact assemblages from a large, flat upland... more We use data on site distributions, chronology, and artifact assemblages from a large, flat upland landscape on Santa Rosa Island to better understand the relationship between coastal and interior settlement patterns on California's northern Channel Islands. This region, Pocket Field, was an important hub of occupation during the late Pleistocene/early Holocene (before 7550 cal BP) and throughout the late Holocene (3600-168 cal BP). A radiocarbon chronology for the region suggests that settlement patterns are consistent with what has been observed in coastal locations, with an increase in site density throughout the late Holocene. Groundstone is an important component of the late Holocene archaeological record, although it decreases in importance following the droughts of the Medieval Climatic Anomaly (MCA; 1150-600 cal BP). Olivella biplicata shell bead production at dense midden sites indicates that occupation of the region was not just for access to terrestrial resources. An increase in sites with projectile points during the MCA may reflect an increase in interpersonal violence and indicate that increasing territoriality that occurred on the coast may have extended into the island interior. Our study demonstrates that interior sites were integral components of island settlement and subsistence patterns, even when diet is heavily marine-oriented.

Reinvestigating Cougar Mountain Cave: New Perspectives on Stratigraphy, Chronology, and a Younger Dryas Occupation in the Northern Great Basin, 2019

to evaluate the potential for further research, collecting additional lithic and fiber artifacts ... more to evaluate the potential for further research, collecting additional lithic and fiber artifacts from disturbed deposits and in situ charcoal from apparently undisturbed deposits. Because Cowles took few notes or photographs, the Cougar Mountain Cave collection-most of which is housed at the Favell Museum in Klamath Falls, Oregon-has largely gone unstudied even though it contains diagnostic artifacts spanning the Holocene and, potentially, the terminal Pleistocene. We recently submitted charcoal and basketry from the site for radiocarbon dating, providing the first reliable sense of when Cougar Mountain Cave was first occupied. Our results indicate at least a Younger Dryas age for initial occupation. The directly dated basketry has provided new information about the age ranges and spatial distributions of diagnostic textile types in the northwestern Great Basin. La Cueva de Cougar Mountain se encuentra en la Cuenca de Fort Rock, en Oregón. En 1958, el arqueólogo vocacional John Cowles excavó la mayor parte de los depósitos de la cueva y recuperó abundantes artefactos de fibra, piedra tallada, madera y hueso. Un equipo de la Universidad de California, Davis, regresó al sitio en 1966 para evaluar su potencial investigativo. Durante esta visita también se recolectaron nuevos artefactos líticos y de fibra de los depósitos perturbados y se tomaron muestras de carbón in situ de depósitos aparentemente intactos. Debido a que Cowles tomó pocas notas o fotografías, la colección de la Cueva de Cougar Mountain, la mayoría de la cual está almacenada en el Museo Favell en Klamath Falls, Oregón, ha quedado sin estudiar, a pesar de que contiene artefactos que abarcan el Holoceno y, potencialmente, el Pleistoceno terminal. Hace poco sometimos muestras de carbón y cestería del sitio a datación por radiocarbono, lo que nos proporcionó una primera estimación confiable de la ocupación inicial en la Cueva de Cougar Mountain. Nuestros resultados indican que la ocupación inicial ocurrió por lo menos en el Dryas Reciente. La cestería, que fue fechada directamente, nos proporciona nueva información sobre los rangos de edad y la distribución espacial de tipos de textiles diagnósticos en el noroeste de la Gran Cuenca.

Marine-shell beads have been recovered from numerous archaeological sites throughout the Intermou... more Marine-shell beads have been recovered from numerous archaeological sites throughout the Intermountain West. Direct radiocarbon determinations and typological cross-dating indicate that groups conveyed beads long distances inland throughout the Holocene. Because the oxygen and carbon isotopic signatures of Callianax (previously Olivella) sp. snail shells reflect local sea surface temperature, researchers over the past 15 years have started to assign beads to source regions (stretches of the coast from which people collected shells). We report radiocarbon and stable isotope data for a Callianax biplicata bead from Oregon's Hawksy Walksy Valley, the only bead that has been recovered from this archaeologically important region. These data indicate that the bead was conveyed ~400 km. inland at 480–285 cal B.P. from somewhere along the Oregon or northern California coasts. We place these results within the context of other provenance studies of beads in the northern Great Basin to add to our understanding of how, when, and from where coastal producers conveyed shell beads to inland consumers.

PaleoAmerica, 2018

Surface sites play a vital role in interpreting terminal Pleistocene/early Holocene (TP/EH) lifew... more Surface sites play a vital role in interpreting terminal Pleistocene/early Holocene (TP/EH) lifeways in the Great Basin. Two years of work in Oregon’s Guano Valley by crews from the University of Nevada, Reno have revealed a rich record of Western Stemmed Tradition occupations associated with an extensive delta system that brought freshwater into the valley from the adjacent tablelands. To date, we have recorded nearly 700 diagnostic TP/EH artifacts within the relatively small delta, making it one of the densest concentrations of Paleoindian artifacts in the region. This paper presents preliminary results from our archaeological and geomorphological investigations in Guano Valley as well as an extensive toolstone source provenance analysis.

Current Archaeological Happenings in Oregon, 2018

The Connley Caves consist of eight south-facing wave cut rockshelters situated on the edge of Pau... more The Connley Caves consist of eight south-facing wave cut rockshelters situated on the edge of Paulina Marsh in central Oregon’s Fort Rock Basin. The site has featured prominently in discussion of Great Basin prehistory since Stephen Bedwell’s excavation during the late 1960’s. Bedwell’s expedient excavations produced a wealth of artifacts and radiocarbon dates spanning from the late Pleistocene to the late Holocene (Bedwell 1970). The validity of Bedwell’s assertions, particularly the oldest radiocarbon dates, have long be questioned by archaeologists. To evaluate Bedwell’s claims, the University of Oregon (UO) archaeological field school returned to the Connley Caves for two seasons from 2000 to 2001, and an additional five between 2014 and 2018. Efforts in 2000 and 2001 focused on areas outside the driplines of Cave 6 and Cave 5, revealing that large portions of the upper strata were significantly disturbed but deeper deposits were intact. At that time a modest number of radiocarbon, obsidian sourcing, and hydration samples were processed to assess potential for future work.

The field school returned to the Connley Caves in 2014 and has since focused excavation efforts on Caves 2, 4, and 5. Preliminary results of Cave 4 and 5 excavations were recently reported in CAHO (McDonough and Jenkins 2018) and PaleoAmerica (Jenkins et al. 2017). Ongoing botanical, faunal, artifact, and geoarchaeological analyses will be presented at the upcoming Great Basin Anthropological Conference in Salt Lake City, Utah (November 7th-10th 2018), the Society for American Archaeology Annual Meeting in Albuquerque, New Mexico (April 10-14, 2019), and a publication on Cave 4 assemblages is currently in progress. In this paper we provide a brief review of the 2017 and 2018 excavations conducted in Caves 2 and 5 with an emphasis on student involvement and future research directions.

Paleoindian era archaeological materials remain significantly understudied in West Virginia. This... more Paleoindian era archaeological materials remain significantly understudied in West Virginia. This brief provides the first summary of West Virginian Paleoindian artifacts in 50 years and reports 13 newly identified specimens. Most artifacts derive from the Ohio and Kanawha river valleys but new finds including fluted, Quad, Beaver Lake, and Dalton point types from some of the most mountainous portions of the state suggest that early groups also utilized interior river valleys and uplands.

Journal of California and Great Basin Anthropology, 2018

Marine-shell beads have been recovered from numerous archaeological sites throughout the Intermou... more Marine-shell beads have been recovered from numerous archaeological sites throughout the Intermountain West. Direct radiocarbon determinations and typological cross-dating indicate that groups conveyed beads long distances inland throughout the Holocene. Because the oxygen and carbon isotopic signatures of Callianax (previously Olivella) sp. snail shells reflect local sea surface temperature, researchers over the past 15 years have started to assign beads to source regions (stretches of the coast from which people collected shells). We report radiocarbon and stable isotope data for a Callianax biplicata bead from Oregon's Hawksy Walksy Valley, the only bead that has been recovered from this archaeologically important region. These data indicate that the bead was conveyed ~400 km. inland at 480–285 cal B.P. from somewhere along the Oregon or northern California coasts. We place these results within the context of other provenance studies of beads in the northern Great Basin to add to our understanding of how, when, and from where coastal producers conveyed shell beads to inland consumers.