Gifts from the Pueblo Valley: An Analysis of a Donated Collection from Far Southeastern Oregon

Lithic analysis of a large artifact collection from the Grove Ranch in Pueblo Valley, Oregon, contributes new insights involving a relatively understudied area of the northern Great Basin. The diversity and density of artifacts from the Grove Ranch indicate a consistent use of the site throughout the Holocene, and source provenance analysis elucidates diachronic conveyance patterns. The overall suite of raw materials suggests a localized conveyance zone that included the southern Alvord Basin and areas to the southwest. Late Holocene arrow points from Grove Ranch were made from more diverse sources than middle Holocene dart points. A single Desert Side-notched point is made from Bear Gulch obsidian from 600 km. away in eastern Idaho, and may be related to an influx of people from the Snake River Plain during the latest Holocene. This research demonstrates the value of donated collections and the impact they can have on areas where little previous archaeological research has been conducted

A Late Prehistoric Marine-Shell Bead from Oregonís Hawksy Walksy Valley

Marine-shell beads have been recovered from numerous archaeological sites throughout the Intermountain West. Direct radiocarbon determinations and typological cross-dating indicate that groups conveyed beads long distances inland throughout the Holocene. Because the oxygen and carbon isotopic signatures of Callianax (previously Olivella) sp. snail shells reflect local sea surface temperature, researchers over the past 15 years have started to assign beads to source regions (stretches of the coast from which people collected shells). We report radiocarbon and stable isotope data for a Callianax biplicata bead from Oregonís Hawksy Walksy Valley, the only bead that has been recovered from this archaeologically important region. These data indicate that the bead was conveyed ~400 km. inland at 480ñ285 cal B.P. from somewhere along the Oregon or northern California coasts. We place these results within the context of other provenance studies of beads in the northern Great Basin to add to our understanding of how, when, and from where coastal producers conveyed shell beads to inland consumers

The coexistence of peace and conflict in South America: toward a new conceptualization of types of peace

South America's predominant democratic regimes and its increasing interdependence on regional trade have not precluded the emergence of militarized crises between Colombia and Venezuela or the revival of boundary claims between Chile and Peru. This way, how can we characterize a zone that, in spite of its flourishing democracy and dense economic ties, remain involved in territorial disputes for whose resolution the use of force has not yet been discarded? This article contends that existing classifications of zones of peace are not adequate to explain this unusual coexistence. Thus, its main purpose is to develop a new analytical category of regional peace for assessing this phenomenon: the hybrid peace. It aims to research the evolution of security systems in South America during the previous century and build a new, threefold classification of peace zones: negative peace zones, hybrid peace zones, and positive peace zones

Assessing the Chronological Variation within Western Stemmed Tradition Projectile Points

Western Stemmed Tradition (WST) projectile points exhibit considerable morphological variability, which may reflect differences in function, ethnolinguistic affiliation, resharpening/rejuvenation, or age. In this thesis I test the hypothesis that different WST points date to different intervals within the terminal Pleistocene/early Holocene (TP/EH). I compile and critically evaluate the existing WST radiocarbon record and obtain new dates from previously excavated WST sites. I then model the reliable radiocarbon dates in a Bayesian framework. My results show that different WST forms date to different intervals within the TP/EH. In general, the model suggests early continuity of WST projectile forms with increased diversification and/or local expressions of types with the onset of the early Holocene

Assessing Typology of Pre-Mazama Corner-Notched Points in the Northern Great Basin

Project files are comprised of 1 page pdf and presentation recording in mp4 format.Some researchers support a “long-chronology” for corner-notched points in the Great Basin, with these points dating to as old as 8,500 cal BP. Opponents support a “short-chronology”, suggesting corner-notched points are younger than 5,000 cal BP. This debate suffers from the use of a variety of typological schemes, regional variability, and lack of buried sites. Corner-notched projectile points exhibiting atypical morphology from traditional types have been found in a well-stratified context associated with cultural features at the Connley Caves, Oregon. In this poster we apply a variety of typological schemes to these points and others found in contexts below Mount Mazama tephra (ca. 7630 cal BP) in Oregon to provide information on the typology and age of pre-Mazama corner-notched points in the northern Great Basin.UROP Mini-Gran

Over the hills and far away: Middle to Late Woodland archaeology and toolstone conveyance at Hyre Mound (46RD1), West Virginia

The archaeology of the eastern West Virginia uplands remains significantly understudied compared to other areas of the Appalachian Plateau. Bettye Broyles’ excavations at the Hyre Mound site (46RD1) in 1963 recovered a variety of artifacts within and directly adjacent to a burial mound but the excavations remain largely unpublished. We provide a report of Broyles’ excavations, new radiocarbon dates, and an analysis of the lithic raw material frequencies at the site. Material culture and ceremonial practices suggest the initial mound construction dates to the Middle Woodland period. Radiocarbon dating of cultural features confirms that people also used the locality during the Late Woodland period. Lithic raw material frequencies indicate a preference for non-local, Hillsdale chert found ∼100 km from the site throughout both time periods. The directionality of toolstone conveyance supports existing models that emphasize the quality and location of raw material sources and the orientation of the region’s physiography. </jats:p