Totah Archaeological Project Season One Lithic Analysis
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Lithic Analysis Of Site LA 126581 The Tommy Site:

Season One

by John A. Torres

Introduction

The following reports the findings of the lithic analysis conducted as part of San Juan College's Archaeological Field School. The site is being excavated as part of archaeological data recovery efforts for Mr. Tommy Bolack. The bulk of the following report addresses the remains found from three provenience. These include the lithic artifacts recovered from the floor of a partially excavated Anasazi pit house; a few lithic artifacts recovered with a single human burial; and a one-unit sample of the lithic artifacts recovered from an excavation unit.

Site LA 126581 represents a Pueblo II and III site. The site is probably related one of several Chacoan outlier sites in the region of which salmon Ruins and Aztec Ruins are part. Several of the lithic technologies present suggest generalized cobble core reduction, lithic tool manufacture and maintenance, and resource processing.

A total of 3,149 lithic artifacts was analyzed from Site LA 126581. These artifacts represent human activities associated with the Anasazi of the region .

Chipped Stone Artifacts

A total of 3,087 chipped stone artifacts was analyzed including 6 projectile points, 3 bifaces, 16 flake tools, 1 core tool, 94 core, and 2,966 pieces of debitage.

Projectile Points

A total of six projectile points was analyzed. One of them were recovered from a thermal feature and the rest were recovered from the excavation unit. All of them are arrow points made from cryptocrystalline silicate rocks and are side-notched. This style of arrow points is common for Pueblo II through III times. Three are complete and were discarded for unknown reasons. They include one made of a red japer point (FS 222.12), San Juan agate (FS 224.29), and a yellow jasper (FS 226.19). The remaining three arrow points suffered various manufacturing and use fractures. They include one made from a black chert (FS 222.13), San Juan agate (FS 228.04) and a white chert (FS 234.16).

Bifaces

Three bifaces were analyzed from the site. All of them were recovered from the excavation unit. They represent two different functional types, two is a discarded arrow point preform (FS 224.30 and FS 229.05) and the other is a bifacial knife fragment (FS 225.05). The preforms are made of jasper and are bifacially pressure flaked. Both appear to have been discarded due to difficulties in thinning the tool sufficient for hafting.

The bifacial knife fragment is only represented by a medial fragment. The use wear parallel to the lateral margin is the only evidence remaining to suggest its use as a knife. It suffered from several post-depositional fractures that could not be identified. It is possible that small imperfections in the raw material provided a starting point for frost or thermal fracture to form.

Flake Tools

Sixteen flake tools were analyzed, all of the were recovered from the excavation unit. These include cutting tools, drills, various scrapers, and tool fragment. The flake tools are made from both local and nonlocal lithic raw materials as well as high quality and low quality lithic materials.

Cutting Tools

Five cutting tools were analyzed including four made from a local pebble chert and one made from a local quartzite. Three of the chert cutting tools and the quartzite cutting tool show use wear suggesting use on a soft medium like soft animal or plant tissue. All of the cutting tools are made from flakes struck from multidirectional cores.

Drills

A single drill tip was analyzed. It was made from flake struck a local pebble chert core. The use wear observed suggests use on a moderately soft medium like dried or tanned hide or woody plant parts. It is possible that the tool was also used as a perforator as well as a drill in the manufacture of leather goods. The drill is too fragmentary to make any further determinations.

Denticulated Scrapers

Three denticulated scrapers were analyzed. One was made from a local pebble chert and was used on a soft medium. The other two were made from a nonlocal (Narbona Pass) chert. They were used on a soft medium and a moderately soft medium. All of the denticulated scrapers were carefully pressure flaked along their lateral margins in the process of making serrated (denticulate) edges. This was dome presumably in order to create a comb-like effect while scraping. Tools of this type are often thought of as fiber separators for both sinew and plant fibers.

Notched Scrapers

A single notched scraper was analyzed. It was made from a local pebble chert. It was used on a moderately soft medium. Like the denticulated scrapers, the notch was pressure flaked into the later margin of the flake before being used as a tool. Notched scrapers like this are often thought to have been used in the manufacture of wood tools like awls or arrow shafts.

Side Scrapers

Five side scrapers were analyzed. Side scrapers make the majority of the scrapers analyzed and also represent the most diverse use media and raw materials. Two side scrapers, one made of basalt and the other made of a siltstone, were used a hard medium like dried wood or bone.

Core Tools

A single core tools was analyzed. It is a large hide scraper made from an exhausted core. Although not common in Anasazi lithic assemblages, hide scrapers recovered. These types of tools are used for the scraping of fat and tissue from the inside of hides in the processes of making raw hide or tanned leather. A tool of this size would have been effective on deer and elk hides.

Cores

A total of 95 cores was analyzed from the site. All of the were recovered from the excavation unit. These include 1 tested cobble, 55 multidirectional cores, 23 unidirectional cores, 1 unidirectional microcore, 5 bidirectional cores, 3 Topaz Mountain Reduction cores, and 7 bipolar cores.

Tested Cobbles

A single tested cobbles was analyzed from the site. The tested cobble is made of poor quality quartzite. Therefore it remained on the landscape where they were tested. The cultural affiliation or temporal placement of such artifacts is difficult to assign.

Multidirectional

Fifty-five multidirectional cores were analyzed from the site. Most of the multidirectional cores are made from siltstone, chert, and basalt cobbles from the San Juan River terraces. Similarly cores of silicified wood and San Juan agate could be obtained locally. This core type is another morphological variant derived from cobble core reduction. One core is made of an imported yellow jasper and appears to have been a bifacial core that was ultimately reduced multidirectionally as a means of maximizing the core's functionality. Other cores of chert and chalcedony and quartzite could be local or nonlocal origin. Irregular expanding flakes are produced from multidirectional cores.

Unidirectional Cores

Twenty-three unidirectional cores were analyzed from the site. All of the unidirectional cores are made from locally available materials. Most are made from cobbles from the San Juan River terraces, although the local hillside could provide silicified wood and various quartzites. Short, linear, blade-like flakes are produced from unidirectional cores.

Unidirectional Microcore

A single unidirectional microcore was analyzed from the site. These types of cores are very among Anasazi assemblages and are most often associated with Athabaskans. It is made from a nonlocal jasper. These types of cores produce short, linear, regular flakes.

Bidirectional Cores

Five bidirectional cores were analyzed form the site. All of the bidirectional cores are made from siltstone, chert, and basalt cobbles from the San Juan River terraces. This core type is a morphological variant derived from cobble core reduction when a second platform was utilized. Irregular, expanding flakes are produced from bidirectional cores.

Topaz Mountain Reduction Cores

Three topaz mountain reduction (TMR) cores were analyzed form the site. TMR cores are a specialized cobble core reduction technology. They have only recently been identified in Anasazi assemblages. They are probably much more common than previously thought, although they are rarely recognized. All three are made from locally available cobbles.

Bipolar

Seven bipolar cores were analyzed. All are made from high quality lithic materials cryptocrystalline pebbles. These bipolar cores represent the reduction of pebbles obtained from gravels of the San Juan River terraces. Small, thin, flat flakes/plates are produced from these types of cores.

Debitage

A total of 2966 pieces of debitage was analyzed. These included 2958 recovered from the excavation unit and 8 recovered from the structure. The debitage analysis suggests few human activities with regard to lithic reduction technology. The number of flakes recovered from the structure is too small for a valid RSA-type analysis, however, significant correlation's were made with the data from the excavation unit.

The debitage data recovered suggest a small range of lithic reduction technologies including cobble core production/reduction, unidirectional core reduction, and possibly biface reduction.

Milling Implements

A total of 11 milling implement was analyzed including 1 from the burial and 10 from the excavation unit. These include manos, metates, and milling implement fragments. The milling implement fragment is too small to classify with regard to function. All of the milling implements are made from locally available materials.

Manos

Five manos were analyzed. The single mano recover from the burial is a small cobble mano. These types of manos are often associated with hunter-gather people and not horticulturists like the Anasazi. It is biconvex in cross section and oval in outline. It was made from an unmodified cobble. Three of the remaining manos are unifacial two-hand manos. Although typical Anasazi manos, they are more common in Pueblo I and early Pueblo II times. The remaining mano is represented by a small fragment and type could not be identified. All of the manos are made from local sandstone blocks with very little modification with the exception of some slight pecking on the milling surface as a process of resurfacing activities.

Metates

A single metate fragment was analyzed. It too was recovered form the excavation unit. The metate is trough type typical of the Anasazi. Although, like the two-hand manos described above, trough metates are more common during Pueblo I and II times. Its lateral margins are percussion flaked and the surface shows evidence of resurface-pecking.

Battered Tools

A total of 41 battered tools were analyzed, all of them were recovered from the excavation unit. All of the battered tools are represented by various hammer stones. Most of the hammerstones (n=27) are angular hammers made from exhausted multidirectional cores. These types of hammers are used for resurfacing milling implements. The remaining hammer stones are spherical hammers made from unmodified cobbles. These hammer stones are used for flint knapping activities and masonry block shaping. The ratio of angular to spherical hammerstones is typical for Pueblo II Anasazi sites.

Ground or Polished Tools

A total of ten ground or polished tools was analyzed. These tools were ground and/or polished in their manufacture, but were not related to milling activities. This tool was ground in its use, however, it is unassociated with milling activities.

Notched Ax

A single notched ax was analyzed. It was recovered from the excavation unit. It was made from a basalt cobble that was pecked and ground to form a bit and two opposing notched. Thebit shows some minor chipping and stria from use. This type of ax is not common in Pueblo II and later assemblages.

Polished Cobble

A single polished cobble was recovered. It is made from a quartzite river-cobble and show use wear in the form of polished and small parallel stria on two faces. The use wear observed could indicate ceramic burnishing or floor or plaster smoothing.

Site Interpretation

The following summarizes the results of Season One investigation of Site LA 126581. It provides an interpretation of site function and lithic technologies represented at the site.

Site Function

The patterns represented by the lithic assemblage from Site LA 126581 suggest use of the area by Anasazi people. The lithic assemblage suggests a large midden where refuse representing daily domestic activities. The lithic assemblage suggests possible tool production and core reduction activities.

Nearly all of the lithic artifacts are made from locally available lithic materials. They represent expedient tools for processing faunal and/or floral resources. The few milling implements suggests the possibility of different discard patterns for large milling implements. It is a typical Anasazi pattern to recycle milling implements into masonry raw materials.

Functionally the site is ordinary and includes several activities. Hunting, and floral and faunal resource processing are not well represented, however, other activities like core reduction, tool production, and tool maintenance are.

Lithic Technology

The lithic technology represented suggests a generalized subsistence strategy based on hunting and floral resource gathering (harvesting). The technology of core reduction, flake tool production, tool use and maintenance, and lithic resource management and procurement are very typical of Anasazi assemblages.

The majority of the lithic core reduction is from cobbles and small pebbles, a pattern seen throughout the Anasazi occupation of the American Southwest. The exploitation of immediately local lithic resources has been well established as a typical Puebloan lithic resource procurement strategy even as far back as Basketmaker III times (Torres in press).

Summary

The lithic data collected as part of Season one of the Totah Archaeological Project proved to be interesting. These sites are unusual Anasazi occupations that represent either special use areas or habitation sites. They also show a very characteristic Puebloan pattern of lithic technology, that is of immediately local raw material use and a generalized cobble core reduction. Although not valid with such a small sample, the data do show significant similarities between these sites and Ancestral Pueblo sites and noted dissimilarity to contemporary nonpuebloan sites. Further research into similar sites may shed significant new light on the possible Chacoan or Mesa Verdian population movements.