Reconsidering Paleoarchaic Mobility in the Central Great Basin

Analyzing technological patterns and source provenance of stone tools, Jones, Beck, Jones, and Hughes (2003) argue that Paleoarchuic groups of the central Great Basin moved within an extensive home range, perhaps reaching 400 km in its longest dimension. The Eastern Conveyance Zone, as they refer to...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:American antiquity 2012-04, Vol.77 (2), p.351-367
Main Authors: Jones, George T., Fontes, Lisa M., Horowitz, Rachel A., Beck, Charlotte, Bailey, David G.
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
America and Arctic regions
Coal
Fluorescence
Foraging
Geochemistry
Geology
Historic artifacts
Lithic industry
Mass spectrometry
Material culture
Methodology and general studies
Mountains
North America
Obsidian
Paleoanthropology
Prehistory and protohistory
Projectiles
Provenance
Typology, technology and attribute analysis
Valleys
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Summary:Analyzing technological patterns and source provenance of stone tools, Jones, Beck, Jones, and Hughes (2003) argue that Paleoarchuic groups of the central Great Basin moved within an extensive home range, perhaps reaching 400 km in its longest dimension. The Eastern Conveyance Zone, as they refer to this territory, was aligned with the predominantly north-south trending mountains and valleys of the province. To evaluate this model of mobility, artifacts were collected from the southern part of the Eastern Conveyance Zone for geochemical characterizations. X-ray fluorescence spectrometry of 183 obsidian and fine-grained volcanic artifacts identified 12 known rock sources, all from the southern and central sections of the zone. No northern sources are represented among artifacts studied. Revisions of the Eastern Conveyance Zone model are considered in light of these results.
ISSN:0002-7316
2325-5064
DOI:10.7183/0002-7316.77.2.351