Subject Area
Anthropology
Abstract
The Pleistocene peopling of the Americas remains a process we still do not fully understand. One primary reason for this is that in many regions of North America, it is not always possible to determine whether the earliest archaeological sites represent the activities of pioneering people, or of later populations. One area where the earliest sites are most likely to represent a founding population is Northeastern North America (e.g., the Great Lakes and New England-Maritimes regions), due to the relatively late deglaciation in this area. The earliest sites in this area include a dozen or so large, distinctive basecamps with discrete activity areas and a high degree of spatial patterning. There are several possible explanations regarding the function of these sites and their role (or lack thereof) in the peopling process of the Northeast, but we still do not know whether they were in fact related to the first expansion into the newly deglaciated region, or if they were inhabited by people who had already begun ‘settling in’ to the area. In addition, it is unclear whether the people at these sites employed similar adaptive strategies as they moved into and/or settled into the region, or if their adaptive strategies and behaviors varied.
This study addressed this knowledge gap by conducting a comprehensive and comparative analysis of six early Paleoindian-period sites across the Northeast: Paleo Crossing, Nobles Pond, Arc, Bull Brook, Vail, and Debert. The purpose of this project was to answer the following questions: First, how familiar were the occupants of these sites with the surrounding landscape? Second, did the occupants of these sites vary in their risk minimization strategies, mobility patterns, and site activities, or was their behavior broadly similar across the landscape?
Lithic raw material source representation and procurement patterns, as inferred from visual source identifications, X-ray fluorescence and neutron activation analysis, provided information on lithic source utilization, landscape familiarity, and mobility patterns. Site activities, and variation therein, were assessed via a comparison of tool classes, technological traits, and use wear. Risk-minimization strategies (specifically tool longevity, functional flexibility, and portability) were assessed for each site via a series of analyses carried out on flake tools, preforms, and projectile points. Social connectivity was assessed via a geometric morphometric analysis of biface stylistic variation between sites. From these analyses, this dissertation concluded the following:
While variability in site activities was evident, overall, the sites fit what would be expected for a generalized adaptation to the region, with differing emphases on activities occurring across the sites, but not wholly different behaviors. Evidence for this was also seen in the risk minimization strategies at these sites. Broadly: most of the sites lacked an obvious emphasis on tool longevity and functional flexibility, but showed a pronounced emphasis on portability. The single exception to these observations was the Paleo Crossing site, which did suggest an emphasis on functional flexibility and had lower typological tool diversity than all other sites in the study. When the technological analyses for these sites are combined with the results from the raw material analyses, almost all the sites in this study align with what is expected for relatively high landscape familiarity. In other words: they appear to reflect people who had already ‘settled in’ to the deglaciated landscape, and who were either using lithic resources that would be difficult to locate for people new to a landscape or who were using wholly local/semi-local materials. Again, the solitary exception to this trend was the Paleo Crossing site, which, based on its unique raw-material profile (the majority of which is from a lithic source 500 km away) and its more maintainable, functionally flexible assemblage, does appear to be more closely associated with the peopling of the Northeast.
In sum, the results of this dissertation imply that the large, Early Paleoindian-period sites in the Northeast vary based on landscape familiarity, thus reflecting intra-Clovis variation that is visible in the archaeological record. While most of the sites in this study are consistent with expectations for people who were already relatively familiar with the region, one site (Paleo Crossing) appears to reflect people who were less familiar with the landscape and more closely associated with the peopling of the region. These findings thus indicate that the earliest sites in any region should be assessed on a case-by-case basis to understand their proximity to the peopling of that region, instead of assuming a priori that they reflect a colonization event.
Degree Date
12-21-2024
Document Type
Dissertation
Degree Name
Ph.D.
Department
Anthropology
Advisor
Dr. David Meltzer
Second Advisor
Dr. Metin Eren
Third Advisor
Dr. Matthew Boulanger
Fourth Advisor
Dr. Christopher Roos
Fifth Advisor
Dr. Karen Lupo
Number of Pages
445
Format
Creative Commons License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial 4.0 License
Recommended Citation
Parfitt, Anne, "Variability in Northeastern Early Paleoindian Period Basecamps: Implications for the Peopling of New Landscapes" (2024). Anthropology Theses and Dissertations.
https://scholar.smu.edu/hum_sci_anthropology_etds/25
