The present study was a response to the discovery of two artifacts found in a ditch wall near Harney Lake, Oregon. These were lying on a buried lake floor that appeared to be of late Pleistocene or early Recent age. Other sediments exposed in the ditch seemed to relate to at least some of the phases of the pluvial lake sequence in the Harney Basin. Three problems were considered: (1) the geomorphology and dating of the pluvial lake stillstands, (2) whether the original artifacts were part of a larger early site, and (3) whether there was any relationship between archaeological sites and geomorphic features in the area. These problems were approached in the field by stratigraphic mapping of exposed sediments and by an archaeological survey of a defined study area. Test excavations were made adjacent to the location of the original artifact discovery to search for other cultural material. Beachline records of four stillstands of Pluvial Lake Malheur are preserved in the exposed sediments. The youngest beachline is undated. Three others were 14C dated from associated fossil molluscs at 32,000, 9620 and 8680 B.P. At least in the case of the 8680 B.P. lake, the Harney Basin was filled to overflowing and was a part of the Columbia River system. The Voltage basalt flow, which dammed the outlet of the Basin in Malheur Gap, was in place by 32,000 years ago. There is no evidence for a diversion of the Basin outlet to Crane Gap following this event. Molluscan fossils and diatoms were used, along with soil texture analyses, to help identify and differentiate sedimentary deposits and to draw environmental inferences. Artifacts were found both on and beneath buried beach deposits of the 8680 B.P. lake. Four of the five sites in the study area were either on wave-cut terraces or other lakeshore features associated with this lake. Diagnostic artifacts are Lind Coulee points, crescents, basally ground leaf-shaped points, and what are apparently true blades. The sites seem to have been located to take advantage of shallow water littoral zone resources. Fish may have been an important dietary item of the early Harney Basin dwellers. Large salmonid vertebrae from fish in the 10 kg weight class are found on the playa. By using the relationship between landforms and elevations it may be possible to predict the general age class of other sites on the margin of the playas.

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No description available.

This thesis is a field report on the archaeological sites surveyed by the author in Goshen Valley, Utah County, Utah. The survey has the threefold objectives of: (1) surveying and recording of sites in Goshen Valley; (2) providing information on the material culture of the ancient inhabitants of the valley; and (3) discovering whether there was a dividing line during the Fremont occupation between the Provo and Sevier regions as outlined by Jones (1961), Green (1964), and Ambler (1966).To this end, seventy-four sites are described along with the related material culture with an analysis of the material culture in the appropriate sections of the thesis. Cultural material has been catagorized into three main affiliations: Fremont, Shoshoni, and Unknown. A cultural sequence of food collecting followed by farming followed by food collecting was evidence in the material remains of the valley.The remainder of the thesis deals with theoretical developments and the relationships of the Fremont farming sites in the valley to the overall Fremont Culture. The information obtained from the survey and analysis of the material culture of the Fremont sites lends support to the Jones-Green-Ambler hypothesis that there was a division between the Provo and the Sevier sub-areas on the basis of trait distributions.

xxi, 541 p. : ill. (some col.), maps. A print copy of this title is available through the UO Libraries under the call number: KNIGHT E78.O6 O37 2006 / Many archaeological researchers that have conducted investigations in the Harney Valley of southeastern Oregon use the ethnographic description of the seasonal round of the Harney Valley Paiute reported by Beatrice Blyth Whiting in her 1950 work Paiute Sorcery as a framework for discussions of prehistoric human use of the area. Archaeological investigations of seven sites, situated in areas identified as having been utilized by the Harvey Valley Paiutes, were conducted to test the relationship between Whiting's ethnographic account and the archaeological record. Data recovery excavations occurred at the Hoyt (35HA2422), Morgan (35HA2423) and Hines (35HA2692) sites near Burns, and test excavations occurred at the Knoll (35HA2530) site in the Silvies Valley, the RJ site (35HA3013) in the Stinkingwater Mountains, and the Broken Arrow (35HA2735) and Laurie's (35HA2734) sites near Malheur Lake. Studies of the cultural materials recovered during the excavations were undertaken to evaluate the content and complexity of each site. Analyses included typological considerations of the chipped stone tools, ground stone, bone tools, and shell, bone, and stone beads. Radiocarbon dating, obsidian sourcing and hydration, and zooarchaeological and paleobotanical analyses were also conducted when possible. Based on the results of the analyses, the seven sites reported herein were primarily used during the past 2000 years, with periods of less intensive use extending beyond 4000 BP. The results of the archaeological investigations indicate that there is a strong correlation between the late Holocene prehistoric record and Whiting's ethnographic description. However, the relationship between human use of the centrally-located lakes and wetlands and the neighboring uplands is clearly more complex than the ethnographic record suggests. Patterns of settlement and mobility revealed through the archaeological record indicate that central places, located closer to wetlands and lacustrine settings but within relatively easy reach of the uplands, may have figured more prominently in the behavior of prehistoric populations than the seasonal round as described by Whiting. Future research will benefit from explorations of central place foraging, emphasizing the role of behavioral ecology in the placement of sites and patterns of site use within the Harney Valley and the northern Great Basin at large. / Committee in Charge: Dr. C. Melvin Aikens, Chair; Dr. Dennis L. Jenkins; Dr. Douglas J. Kennett; Dr. Esther Jacobson-Tepfer

The archaeology of the region, referred to in scholarly lexicon as the Ancient Near East, is richly endowed with artefacts and monumental architecture of ancient cultures. Such artefacts, as a non-renewable resource are, therefore considered to be a scarce commodity. So also is the context and the provenance of these objects. Once an object’s provenance has been disturbed, it is of no further significant use for academic research, except for aesthetic value. Historically, as well as in the present, we see that humans have exploited this resource for various reasons, with very little regard given to provenance. The impact of forgery, illicit trade and looting are the greatest threat to the value of provenance. Contrary to some arguments, collectors, curators, buyers, looters and certain scholars play a significant role in its destruction. This research reveals to what extent unknown provenance has become a disturbing problem in the study of archaeological artefacts. / Biblical and Ancient Studies / M.Th. (Biblical Archaeology)

No description available.

Archaeologists rely heavily on pottery data to make inferences about the past. Although a critical component of such inferences is knowing how the pots were used, archaeologists at present cannot reconstruct accurately pottery function. This research provides the means whereby actual pottery use can be determined from traces that remain on pots. The study focuses on an analysis of nearly 200 vessels collected in the Kalinga village of Guina-ang. Traces, in the form of organic residues, attrition, and carbon deposits, are linked to pottery use activities observed in Kalinga households. The analysis of organic residue focuses on fatty acids absorbed into the vessel wall; samples are taken from Kalinga cooking pots and several types of food. It is found that rice cooking pots can be discriminated from vegetable/meat cooking pots, though individual plant species cannot be distinguished in the latter. In several cases, however, there is conclusive evidence for meat cooking. An analysis of Kalinga "archaeological" sherds was also performed to look at fatty acid preservation. A pottery attrition analysis, similar to the study of lithic use-wear, is also performed on Kalinga pottery. The objective is to understand the general principles in the formation of an attritional trace. Nine areas on Kalinga cooking vessels are found to have attritional patches. The two forms of Kalinga cooking vessels could be discriminated based on attrition. Carbon deposits reflect what was cooked, how it was heated, and some general activities of cooking. Interior carbon deposits result from the charring of food and is governed by the source of heat, intensity of heat, and the presence of moisture. The processes that govern the different types of exterior soot are difficult to identify and several experiments are performed. It is found that soot deposition is controlled by wood type, temperature of the ceramic surface, and the presence of moisture. This research demonstrates that archaeologists can begin looking at organic residues, attrition and carbon deposits to infer how their vessels were used in the past.

This study presents a skeletal analysis of the burials from the Elrod (12CL 1) site. This site, excavated by E.Y. Guernsey in the 1930s, has exhibited extreme commingling and loss of context. The early date, before the implementation of archaeological standards, and lack of publication are the primary sources of commingling. An outline for dealing with commingling, as well as a demographic profile and overview of health, were created during this research. The Elrod site has been characterized as a Middle to Late Archaic shell midden, though literature and analyses presented here support a stratified excavation of the Elrod burials. The stature, dentition and pathology suggest that this series contains individuals from several temporal periods and is not confined to the Middle-Late Archaic. / Department of Anthropology

This thesis focuses on the possible functions of three stone structures associated with the Manteno culture (500-1532 A.D.) of coastal Ecuador. The ceramic distributions of each structure were compared (C4-044-1, C4-096-2 and C4-097-2) and the diagnostic sherds were analyzed by form according to Mester's and Rowe's ceramic classifications (Mester 1990; Rowe 2005). The statistics suggest that each of the structures served different functions. C4-044-1 likely domestic, C4-096-2 probably functioned as a kitchen and C4-097-2 was a storage area. A χ2 test suggests that the ceramic forms from C4-044-1 differ significantly from those recovered from C4-096-2. Diversity indices indicate that C4-044-1 has the highest diversity of vessel forms and that its diversity differs significantly from the other structures. The correspondence analysis reinforces these results, with the high segregation of the lots and vessel forms . / Includes bibliography. / Thesis (M.S.)--Florida Atlantic University, 2015. / FAU Electronic Theses and Dissertations Collection