Lithic technology studies: Archaeological research at drill hole U19ba, Nye County, Nevada.

摘要

In 1989, the Desert Research Institute conducted two archaeological reconnaissances of drill hole U19ba on the Nevada Test Site (NTS) for the Department of Energy, Nevada Field Office (DOE/NV). Eighteen archaeological sites were located there, nine of which were collected when recorded. The DOE/NV chose to investigate these sites and requested a data recovery plan for 26NY4183, 26NY4184, 26NY5914, 26NY5916, 26NY5917, and 26NY5922. Field investigations, primarily controlled surface collections, were carried out in May 1990 and, in the process, another two sites, 26NY7357 and 26NY7358, were discovered. Theses studies focused on core-biface technology, cultural thermal alteration, techniques used to analyze lithic debitage, and the recovery of small sized artifacts. Results of these analyses indicate that flake blanks produced from cores were an important component of biracial technology at these sites, thermal alteration was important throughout the reduction sequence, the techniques used to analyze debitage mask variability, and that the recovery of small sized artifacts reveals biracial final finishing and notching activity at 26NY5917. Based on projectile point chronology, the project area was periodically visited from about 7,000 years ago to about 400 years ago.