Beyond the point: projectile manufacture and behavioral inference

• Published in: Journal of archaeological science 2004-11, Vol.31 (11), p.1553-1566
• Main Author: Sellet, Frédéric
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Agate Basin site; Excavation and methods; Folsom; Laboratory methods; Lithic industry; Methodology and general studies; Paleoindian; Physical and chemical analysis; Prehistory and protohistory; Projectile; Technology; Typology, technology and attribute analysis
• ISSN: 0305-4403; 1095-9238
• DOI: 10.1016/j.jas.2004.03.016

This paper is an attempt to model forager organization as it relates to aspects of weaponry production in the Main Folsom component at the Agate Basin site, Wyoming. Central to the argument presented here is the quantification of projectile point manufacture based on the reconstruction of nodules. This methodology takes advantage of the archaeological visibility of Folsom point manufacture and offers an estimate of the number of points manufactured, even though these points might have been removed from the site by the prehistoric occupants. Results indicate that a minimum of 38 points was successfully manufactured at the site, while only three points were discarded there. This case exemplifies a gearing up situation in which weaponry is produced to anticipate needs, and demonstrates that Folsom technological organization integrates future-oriented decisions. Ultimately, the study illustrates how hunter–gatherer regional organization and long-term planning can be inferred from an individual locality through the identification of site-specific behavior and its integration into a broader perspective of human organization.