Geoarchaeological investigation of lithic resources in the central Mesa Verde region, Colorado, USA
Bibliographic Data
| ID | 9366000 |
|---|---|
| Authors | Fumiyasu Arakawa (Crow Canyon Archaeological Center, corresponding author), Kimberlee J Miskell-Gerhardt, Kimberlee Miskell‐Gerhardt |
| Year | 2009 |
| Volume | 24 |
| Issue | 2 |
| Pages | 204-223 |
| Publication date | 2009-02-06 |
| Open Access | Yes |
| Type | ARTICLE |
| Venue | Geoarchaeology (JOURNAL) |
| Journal identifiers | ISSN: 0883-6353 • E-ISSN: 1520-6548 |
| Publisher | Wiley (PUBLISHER • GB) |
| DOI | 10.1002/gea.20263 |
| OpenAlex | W2004548756 |
| Language | EN |
| Citations received | 7 |
| References cited | 16 |
An important question in Southwestern archaeological research is how social and economic ties between prehistoric groups changed through time. The chemical and mineralogical matching of stone tools and ceramics to source areas is one approach to addressing this question. Here we challenge the assumption that igneous rocks used for manufacturing stone tools and ceramics in the Mesa Verde region of Colorado were originally derived from the Chuska Mountains of New Mexico. Recent geological surveys suggest that small igneous features present in and around Mesa Verde National Park and Ute Mountain Ute Tribal Park contain similar lithologies and may represent a local source. We systematically visited seven of these igneous exposures and nine downstream gravel deposits, looking for geological sources and quarry sites matching the lithology of analyzed debitage from this region. Our results suggest that the ancestral Puebloans could have procured such igneous rocks as aphanitic minette and trachybasalt pottery temper from local areas. Because the trachybasalt is usually thought to have been imported from the Chuska Mountains, this discovery may require a revision of interpreted trade networks based on pottery temper and lithic raw material distinctions. © 2009 Wiley Periodicals, Inc
Archaeology · Geochemistry · Geography · Igneous rock · Lithology · Pottery · Prehistory · Archaeology and ancient environmental studies · Archaeology and Rock Art Studies · Pleistocene-Era Hominins and Archaeology · Geology
Petrography for Archaeological Geology
Identifying new quarries as a method for expanding research
Evaluation of trade and interaction between Chaco Canyon and Chaco outlier sites in the American Southwest by investigating trachybasalt temper in pottery sherds
Ancestral Pueblo Archaeology
Petrographic and Geochemical Constraints on the Provenance of Sanidine‐Bearing Temper in Ceramic Potsherds, Four Corners Region, Southwest USA
Lithic procurement in the Sand Wash Basin of Northwestern Colorado
Gendered Analysis of Lithics From the Central Mesa Verde Region
Ancient maize from Chacoan great houses
Toolstohe Procurement Patterns on Wetherill Mesa, Mesa Verde, A.D. 600–1280
Geologic and structure contour map of the Ute Mountain Ute Indian Reservation and adjacent areas, southwest Colorado and northwest New Mexico
Seeking The Center Place
Cannibalism, Warfare, and Drought in the Mesa Verde Region during the Twelfth Century A.D
Sourcing Chuskan Ceramic Production
Rethinking the Pueblo I Period in the San Juan Drainage
Pink Chert, Projectile Points, and the Chacoan Regional System
Floodwater Farming, Discontinuous Ephemeral Streams, and Puebloan Abandonment in Southwestern Colorado
| Citations per year | 0.54 |
|---|---|
| Citation span | 2013 - 2020 (8) |
| Highly cited | No |