Doctoral Dissertation Improvement Grant: Paleoindian Technology in Beringia--A Technological and Morphological Analysis of the Northern Fluted-Point Complex

在特德·格贝尔医生的监督下，石楠·史密斯？的博士论文研究将调查技术，形态学和阿拉斯加凹槽弹丸点的背景下，集中在新的组合，从Serbian温泉（BEN-192），一个独特的网站在白令吉亚发现包含一个凹槽点组合在一个埋藏的，明确可测年的上下文中。 凹槽点在美洲很普遍，但在阿拉斯加北部和西北部的白令地区，有问题的和不可测年的背景阻止了对它们含义的解释，特别是在人类散布在美洲的背景下，我们仍然对它们在晚冰期北极和亚北极生态系统中的适应性背景几乎一无所知。 到目前为止，它们对阿拉斯加史前早期的归属主要是基于类型学。 拟议的研究试图解决这个问题，解决这个问题：什么是阿拉斯加凹槽点的文化历史和适应性的背景？ 2005年和2009-2011年在Serbian温泉进行的勘探已经从地层封闭的背景中恢复了凹槽点，这些特征被解释为火炉和木炭，这些特征一致地产生了平均10，200 - 10，000年前的放射性碳（14 C BP）。在这一发现之前，对白令考古学和第一个美国人研究中凹槽点的背景和意义的清晰理解是不可能的。该项目的主要研究目标是1）表征技术和形态的凹槽射弹点恢复从Serbian温泉和其他阿拉斯加网站，2）表征技术活动进行Serbian温泉和其他凹槽点在阿拉斯加，3）解释的技术组织？北方槽点复合体特别是在定居和流动方面，和4）调查阿拉斯加凹槽点的起源。拟议的研究将结合联合收割机标准的非度量和度量变量与几何形态测量分析，以获得一个有意义的统计表示的槽点技术和形状。在分析的这一部分，史密斯将利用阿拉斯加19个考古遗址的材料，建立凹槽点之间的技术和形态关系。在分析的下一部分，史密斯将解决阿拉斯加凹槽点制造商实施的技术组织，从而促进评估北方古印第安人的行为方面的工具石收购，运输和流动性。技术组织的调查将基于对从Serbian温泉、Putu和八个Batza Téna地点获得的完整岩性组合（包括debitage）的分析，这些地点可能在哪里？类型学上干净吗为了调查阿拉斯加的凹槽尖端技术的起源，并将阿拉斯加凹槽尖端置于古印第安人占领美洲大陆的背景下，将从技术和形态方面对来自加拿大和美国大陆的凹槽尖端集合进行比较分析。将通过一种新形式的形状分析来分析形态学中的凹槽点变异性和相关性，该形状分析利用几何形态测量学，并允许在整个分析过程中保留伪影的整个几何形状，从而提高统计表达的能力。拟议的分析将需要前往费尔班克斯和安克雷奇，阿拉斯加，华盛顿特区，拉勒米，怀俄明州，埃德蒙顿和卡尔加里，阿尔伯塔省，维多利亚，不列颠哥伦比亚省，渥太华，多伦多和伦敦，安大略省的博物馆，研究在这些机构策展的文物收藏。候选人H.史密斯进行必要的分析，把Serbian温泉组合和阿拉斯加凹槽点复杂的人类适应在更新世-全新世过渡的更大背景。 拟议的研究目标将导致概括，这将促进我们对北极史前狩猎采集者风险管理的理解，以及北方古印第安人如何应对更新世末期经历剧烈气候变化的生态系统所带来的适应性挑战。

Under the supervision of Dr. Ted Goebel, Heather Smith?s doctoral dissertation research will investigate the technology, morphology, and context of Alaskan fluted projectile points, focusing on the new assemblage from Serpentine Hot Springs (BEN-192), a unique site in Beringia found to contain a fluted-point assemblage in a buried and clearly datable context. Fluted points are widespread in the Americas, but in the Beringian area of north and northwest Alaska problematic and un-datable contexts have prevented interpretations of their meaning, especially in the context of human dispersal across the Americas, and we still know virtually nothing about their adaptive context in late-glacial Arctic and Subarctic ecosystems. Thus far, their attribution to the early period of Alaskan prehistory has been based predominantly on typology alone. The proposed research attempts to resolve this problem by addressing the question: What are the culture-historical and adaptive contexts of Alaskan fluted points? Excavations at Serpentine Hot Springs in 2005 and 2009-2011 have recovered fluted points from a stratigraphically sealed context in association with features interpreted as fire-hearths and charcoal from these features consistently produced dates averaging 10,200-10,000 radiocarbon years before present (14C BP). Prior to this discovery, a clear understanding of the context and significance of fluted points in Beringian archaeology and first Americans research has been impossible. The primary research goals of this project are to 1) characterize the technology and morphology of fluted projectile points recovered from Serpentine Hot Springs and other Alaskan sites, 2) characterize technological activities carried out at Serpentine Hot Springs and other fluted point sites in Alaska, 3) interpret the technological organization of the ?northern fluted-point complex?, especially in regards to settlement and mobility, and 4) investigate the origins of Alaskan fluted points. The proposed research will combine standard lithic analyses of non-metric and metric variables with geometric morphometric analyses to obtain a meaningful statistical expression of fluted-point technology and shape. In this part of the analysis, Smith will draw on materials from 19 archaeological sites in Alaska to establish technological and morphological relationships between the fluted points. In the next component of the analysis, Smith will address the technological organization implemented by Alaskan fluted-point makers, thereby facilitating evaluation of northern Paleoindian behavior in terms of tool-stone acquisition, transport, and mobility. Investigation of technological organization will be based on analyses of complete lithic assemblages (including debitage) obtained from Serpentine Hot Springs, Putu, and eight Batza Téna localities where potentially ?typologically clean? assemblages have been found. To investigate the origins of fluted-point technology in Alaska and place Alaskan fluted points in the context of the Paleoindian occupation of the American continents, fluted-point collections from localities in Canada and the continental United States will be comparatively analyzed in regards to technology and morphology. Fluted-point variability and correlations in morphology will be analyzed by a new form of shape-analysis which utilizes geometric morphometrics and allows the entire geometry of the artifacts to be preserved throughout analysis, serving to increase the power of statistical expression. The proposed analyses will require travel to museums in Fairbanks and Anchorage, Alaska; Washington DC; Laramie, WY; Edmonton and Calgary, Alberta; Victoria, British Columbia; and Ottawa, Toronto, and London, Ontario to study artifact collections curated at these institutions.Funding of the proposed research will enable Ph.D. candidate H. Smith to conduct analyses necessary to place the Serpentine Hot Springs assemblage and the Alaskan fluted-point complex into the greater context of human adaptation during the Pleistocene-Holocene transition. Proposed research objectives will result in generalizations that will advance our understanding of prehistoric hunter-gatherer risk management in the Arctic, and how Northern Paleoindians met the adaptive challenges imposed by an ecosystem experiencing dramatic climate change at the end of the Pleistocene.