An analysis of the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem archaeological assemblages of lithic raw materials

Abstract

Procurement of lithic raw materials has long been studied in the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem, but it has lacked in its attention to non-volcanic sources. Sourcing tool stone has also long been problematic in the Intermountain West, where there is abundant lithic diversity with discontinuous source areas.  This study illustrates the great diversity of prehistoric foragers tool stone procurement strategies by analyzing the raw material types found within the archaeological sites of the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem. Systematizing assemblages spatial distributions by placing them on the geological landscape enables statistical cluster analyses to elucidate potential procurement areas and greater characterize the mobility of past peoples.

Featured image by Anna Cressman taken from the UW-NPS photo collection.