A Paradigmatic Lithic Analysis of an Upper Kittitas County Spring Site, Washington
Document Type
Oral Presentation
Campus where you would like to present
SURC Ballroom C/D
Start Date
15-5-2014
End Date
15-5-2014
Keywords
Archaeology, Stone Tools, Kittitas
Abstract
The Upper Kittitas County Spring Site (UKCSS) artifact assemblage comes from a landowner that picked them up from the surface of a plowed field near a spring. This artifact collection contains 758 stone tools: 520 pieces of debitage, 67 ground stone tools, 56 projectile points, and 115 broken biface/miscellaneous stone artifacts. This site has a unique set of artifacts. For instance, large collections of ground stone tools, while common at spring sites, rarely occur in such frequencies or with such a range of chipped stone artifacts. The goal of my research project was to analyze the assemblage so that it could be compared to other archaeological sites in the Yakima and Columbia River Valleys. Ground stone, projectile points, and broken biface artifacts were analyzed using a lithic paradigmatic classification and it was found that all stages of manufacture were represented. The ground stone tools from this site show contrasts to local and regional sites’ ground stone artifacts. For instance, the ground stone tools from UKCSS show a higher variability in shape, wear, and a higher frequency of complete artifacts. Another way this site is different is that when the debitage from UKCSS is compared to the Newton and Bishop Springs sites, there are noticeable differences; in some cases, the UKCSS collection is unique because it is very similar to both spring and village site types.
Recommended Citation
Chenvert, ErinMarie, "A Paradigmatic Lithic Analysis of an Upper Kittitas County Spring Site, Washington" (2014). Symposium Of University Research and Creative Expression (SOURCE). 84.
https://digitalcommons.cwu.edu/source/2014/posters/84
Poster Number
45
Additional Mentoring Department
Anthropology and Museum Studies
A Paradigmatic Lithic Analysis of an Upper Kittitas County Spring Site, Washington
SURC Ballroom C/D
The Upper Kittitas County Spring Site (UKCSS) artifact assemblage comes from a landowner that picked them up from the surface of a plowed field near a spring. This artifact collection contains 758 stone tools: 520 pieces of debitage, 67 ground stone tools, 56 projectile points, and 115 broken biface/miscellaneous stone artifacts. This site has a unique set of artifacts. For instance, large collections of ground stone tools, while common at spring sites, rarely occur in such frequencies or with such a range of chipped stone artifacts. The goal of my research project was to analyze the assemblage so that it could be compared to other archaeological sites in the Yakima and Columbia River Valleys. Ground stone, projectile points, and broken biface artifacts were analyzed using a lithic paradigmatic classification and it was found that all stages of manufacture were represented. The ground stone tools from this site show contrasts to local and regional sites’ ground stone artifacts. For instance, the ground stone tools from UKCSS show a higher variability in shape, wear, and a higher frequency of complete artifacts. Another way this site is different is that when the debitage from UKCSS is compared to the Newton and Bishop Springs sites, there are noticeable differences; in some cases, the UKCSS collection is unique because it is very similar to both spring and village site types.
Faculty Mentor(s)
McCutcheon, Patrick