Lithic Resource Utilization Patterns in the Middle Missouri Subarea

Datos Bibliográficos

ID9217481
AutoresStanley A Ahler (Department of Anthropology and Archaeology University of North Dakota Grand Forks, North Dakota 58202, autor de correspondencia)
Año1977
Volumen22
Número78
Páginas132-150
Fecha de publicación1977-11-01
Peer ReviewedSí
Open AccessNo
TipoARTICLE
RevistaPlains Anthropologist (JOURNAL)
Identificadores de la revistaISSN: 0032-0447 • E-ISSN: 2052-546X
EditorialInforma UK Limited (PUBLISHER • GB)
DOI10.1080/2052546.1977.11908860
OpenAlexW2277418939
IdiomaEN
Citas recibidas15
Referencias citadas9

Some years ago Donald Lehmer (1954) suggested, on the basis of data from sites near the Oahe Dam, that Middle Missouri Tradition and Coalescent Tradition populations practiced distinctly different lithic resource exploitation patterns. This study attempts to evaluate and expand upon Lehmer’s observations using data from four archaeological sites near Mobridge, South Dakota. An underlying premise is that studies of lithic resource exploitation must be grounded in a firm understanding of the geologic and geographic parameters of the natural resource base. Toward this end, field reconnaissanceand geologic information are used to define 12 stone types which occur in high frequency in the chipped stone artifact assemblages and which have reasonably well defined natural source locations and conditions. Comparisons of the four site assemblages according to the frequency of occurrence of these stone types supports Lehmer’s observations, and illustratescontrastive patterns of resource exploitation associated with the two cultural traditions. Coalescent populations relied heavily on several stone types occurring naturally in the Big Badlands and Black Hills of South Dakota, while Middle Missouri populations generally ignored these sources and relied heavily on Knife River Flint as a major lithic resource. These contrastive exploitation patterns appear to have remained relatively constant through time and across considerable space

Archaeology · Geography · Resource (disambiguation · Archaeology and ancient environmental studies · Computer Science · Evolution and Paleontology Studies · History · Pleistocene-Era Hominins and Archaeology