Lithic Raw Material Variability in the Central Duck River Basin: Reflections of Middle and Late Archaic Organizational Strategies: Report of Investigations No. 46

摘要

The purpose was to develop a model for understanding prehistoric chipped-stone distribution in the central Duck River Basin region located in Middle Tennessee. The model design consists of theoretical and empirical observation which are integrated to form an interpretive framework. Seven lithic assemblages ranging from middle to late Archaic periods (ca. 7000 to 3000 years B.P.) in age were analyzed to assess the model. The first stage of model-building was the development of a theoretical foundation for approaching the problem. A cultural adaptation paradigm is the foundation cornerstone. Lithic technology is viewed as an integral part of prehistoric cultural adaptation and lithic remains are regarded as critical indicators of behavioral variability. Environmental variables are stressed in interpreting lithic debris patterning across the landscape. The second stage of model-building involved the construction of a set of observations on lithic resource types and their distributions in the study area. A regional lithic resource survey was implemented. Application of the model to archaeological data was the last stage of model-building. Seven Middle-Late Archaic assemblages are compared. Results of the interassemblage analysis suggest that Late Archaic settlement systems were more logisically organized and technological systems were less expediently organized than those of Middle Archaic groups. Differences between Middle and Late Archaic adaptations are viewed as response to regional environmental and demographic trends. These trends are documented and their implications for subsistence, settlement, and social organization are considered. (ERA citation 13:007921)