Archaeological Excavations at Yellow Jacket Shelter, Comanche County, Texas

摘要

Yellow Jacket Shelter, a small rock shelter, is located in Comanche County, Texas. Based on a preliminary test pit, the site appears to have been occupied primarily during the Late Archaic and Neo-American periods. Systematic augering verified the vertical stratigraphy and defined subsurface artifact concentrations. The artifact concentrations represent distinct activity areas within the deposit and were used to guide excavation. The stratified deposit has a diffused Middle Archaic occupation overlain by a Late Archaic component and Austin Focus and Toyah Focus components. While no major changes in lihic technology or tool assemblage were seen, changes in intrasite patterning were detected between the Late Archaic and Austin Focus deposits, reflecting a probable settlement pattern shift. The use of augering and block excavation shows the utility of these techniques in sites of limited size.