Dissertation Research: Early Archaic Settlement in the Yadkin-Pee Dee Drainage

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Under the direction of Dr. Vincas Steponaitis, Mr. I. Randolph Daniel will analyze a body of archaeological material from the Hardaway site, located in Stanly County, North Carolina. The results will be incorporated into Mr. Daniel's dissertation thesis. The Hardaway site was excavated in the early 1960's but the materials recovered have not been fully studied. These date from the Archaic period, between 10,500 and 8,000 years ago, and document the adaptation of Native American peoples to the relatively modern biotic community which emerged following the last glacial advance. Mr. Daniel will examine the lithic materials recovered. Through analysis of these artifacts and comparison with geological outcrops in the region, he hopes to match raw materials to their sources. This will provide information on the geographical range exploited by the Hardaway people. He will also examine collections from other sites in the region to set the Hardaway site into a broader cultural context. On this basis, he will reconstruct the Archaic settlement system in the region and learn how aboriginal groups utilized the seasonally changing environment. This research is important for several reasons. It will shed light on the origins and development of Native American culture. It will also reveal how human groups at a technologically simple level adapted to a variable environment and the strategies they employed. Finally, it will aid in the training of an extremely promising young scientist.