Date of Award
8-1-2022
Document Type
Thesis
Degree Name
M.A. in Anthropology
First Advisor
Tony Boudreaux
Second Advisor
Robbie Ethridge
Third Advisor
Jay K. Johnson
School
University of Mississippi
Relational Format
dissertation/thesis
Abstract
The lithic economies of the Late Mississippian and Early Contact periods have in the past been characterized as simple and lacking complexities, however this is a flawed assumption (Binford 1980:10). This thesis aims to highlight the variations and complexities that existed in gravel-based lithic economies exploring how these variations present themselves in the archaeological record. These variations will be examined through several quantitative methods including mass, cortex, flake and biface analysis. I will also use historical accounts and archaeological reports to place these assemblages in the Late Mississippian and Early Contact periods. This research compares the gravel-based lithic assemblages from two sites, the Grand Village of the Natchez (22AD501) in Natchez, Mississippi and Stark Farm (22OK778) in Starkville, Mississippi. These two sites were selected because they have many commonalities. The assemblages analyzed from each site are roughly contemporaneous and both make excellent use of gravel resources for the production of stone tools. However, their lithic economies differ greatly in both how resources were gathered and how those resources were prepared prior to tool production. Primarily, this research examines how gravel resources are gathered, how source area distances affect resource preparation, and how indigenous communities negotiate their geographic and geological surroundings to maintain lithic economies. The conclusion of the study is that the variations we observe in the archaeological record are outcomes of indigenous decision-making. These decisions range from what tools to produce, where to source materials, and whether or not to engage in resource maximization strategies such as thermal alteration, repeated core usage and bifacial tool production. All of these decisions are affected by two basic factors, resource acquisition strategies and context. Resource acquisition strategies are driven by the distance to resources and the time it takes to both gather and process them. This process informs how indigenous manufacturers made decisions based on the choices available to them through their geographic and geological surroundings. Meanwhile, the contexts in which lithic tool are found molds what tools are likely utilized in that space. Together, these two factors highlight how indigenous communities negotiated and manipulated their lithic economies to benefit their communities.
Recommended Citation
Perry, Matthew H., "Regional Variation in Gravel-Based Lithic Economies: Archaeological Investigations at Stark Farm (22OK778) and Grand Village (22AD501)" (2022). Electronic Theses and Dissertations. 2392.
https://egrove.olemiss.edu/etd/2392