Grissom Site (45KT301) Inter- and Intra-Site Comparisons of Stone Tool Technology and Function Through Time
Document Type
Oral Presentation
Campus where you would like to present
SURC 140
Start Date
16-5-2013
End Date
16-5-2013
Abstract
Research into Columbia Plateau precontact settlement and subsistence patterns has largely focused on Columbia River pithouse villages. As part of a Farrell Scholarship research project I explored an upland plateau site by analyzing the lithics from five excavation units at the Grissom Site located in Kittitas County. I tested two hypotheses: that there is functional differentiation across the Grissom Site; and that those functional differences are both similar and different when compared to other sites. Using stone tool classifications based on previously published Plateau research, I analyzed 525 stone tools. After classifying the tools, an intra-site comparison was conducted to determine if there were differential use areas at the site. Six accelerator mass spectrometry (AMS) radiocarbon dates from bone were obtained to determine the site’s timing and duration of use. All dates place the site within the Cayuse Phase (2,500 B.P. to the historic period). After completing classification and obtaining AMS dates, I conducted an intersite comparison with three other Plateau sites from the same time period. The Grissom Site displays functional differentiation in stone tools across space. The same activities took place at the same locations within the site through time. Activity at the site as a whole was focused on resource extraction and processing, and creation and maintenance of stone tools. The hypothesis that the Grissom Site is regionally unique remains untested as sufficient data for comparison was lacking. Of the three comparison sites, the Grissom Site most closely resembled pithouse villages in the Chief Joseph Reservoir area.
Recommended Citation
Vassar, Anne, "Grissom Site (45KT301) Inter- and Intra-Site Comparisons of Stone Tool Technology and Function Through Time" (2013). Symposium Of University Research and Creative Expression (SOURCE). 135.
https://digitalcommons.cwu.edu/source/2013/oralpresentations/135
Additional Mentoring Department
Anthropology
Grissom Site (45KT301) Inter- and Intra-Site Comparisons of Stone Tool Technology and Function Through Time
SURC 140
Research into Columbia Plateau precontact settlement and subsistence patterns has largely focused on Columbia River pithouse villages. As part of a Farrell Scholarship research project I explored an upland plateau site by analyzing the lithics from five excavation units at the Grissom Site located in Kittitas County. I tested two hypotheses: that there is functional differentiation across the Grissom Site; and that those functional differences are both similar and different when compared to other sites. Using stone tool classifications based on previously published Plateau research, I analyzed 525 stone tools. After classifying the tools, an intra-site comparison was conducted to determine if there were differential use areas at the site. Six accelerator mass spectrometry (AMS) radiocarbon dates from bone were obtained to determine the site’s timing and duration of use. All dates place the site within the Cayuse Phase (2,500 B.P. to the historic period). After completing classification and obtaining AMS dates, I conducted an intersite comparison with three other Plateau sites from the same time period. The Grissom Site displays functional differentiation in stone tools across space. The same activities took place at the same locations within the site through time. Activity at the site as a whole was focused on resource extraction and processing, and creation and maintenance of stone tools. The hypothesis that the Grissom Site is regionally unique remains untested as sufficient data for comparison was lacking. Of the three comparison sites, the Grissom Site most closely resembled pithouse villages in the Chief Joseph Reservoir area.
Faculty Mentor(s)
Patrick McCutcheon