Dissertation Research: Early Paleoindians and Rockshelters in the Eastern Woodlands: A Case Study at Wolfe Shelter, Kentucky

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Under the direction of Dr. Tom Dillehay, Mr. Leon Lane will collect data for his doctoral dissertation. He will conduct archaeological excavation at Wolfe Shelter, a rock overhang located on a tributary of the Cumberland River in Cumberland County, Kentucky. Previous work at his site has indicated a long archaeological sequence with remains from a number of different cultures. On the basis of stone tools recovered, it appears that the shelter and the adjacent area was occupied by Paleoindian hunter-gatherers as much at 12,000 years ago. Such sites are extremely rare in the Eastern United States. Mr. Lane will conduct careful stratigraphic excavations and expose an area of 56 square meters in, and in the immediate vicinity of the site. Lithic materials as well as associated faunal and floral remains will be collected and analyzed. The geological and environmental history of the site will be reconstructed and appropriate samples collected for radiocarbon dating. This information should provide insight into: the type and extent of Paleoindian occupation; the technology and economy of the early occupants; the relationship between materials recovered inside the shelter and those in surrounding depositional settings. While abundant data attest to the presence of Paleoindian peoples across North America by 12,000 years ago, surprisingly little is known about how they adapted to this unexploited environment. Almost all well preserved sites from this period are located in the Western part of the U.S. and there a picture of highly mobile large game hunters has emerged. However the environment in the Eastern part of the continent is quite different and quite likely adaptations were different in this region. However very little information is available. Thus the Wolfe Shelter is quite important and the results of this proposed research will be of widespread archaeological interest. It will also provide new understanding of hunter gatherer behavior during the earliest period of New World prehistory. The award will assist in the training of a promising young scientist.