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Title:
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Testing implications of central-place foraging: an analysis of prehistoric pinyon exploitation in the western and central Great Basin
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Author:
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Thomas, Jennifer Lynn
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Abstract:
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This study analyzes variability in ground stone tool density within four Great
Basin pinyon zones. It tests the prediction that milling equipment, a proxy measure of
residential activity, should be comparatively more abundant in pinyon-dense woodlands,
because it would have been more economical for hunter-gatherers to practice a residential
procurement strategy in these locations than pinyon-poor woodlands. Two vegetation geospatial databases (Nevada GAP and the U.S. Forest Service's
Existing Vegetation) were used to develop a pinyon-juniper woodland ranking system.
Data compiled from four stratified sample surveys (Delacorte 1990; Delacorte et al.
1992; Kelly 1985; and Thomas 1971) were then compared in accordance with the
woodland productivity rank assigned to each region. Ground stone tool density was inconsistent with expectations in two of the four
study areas. These results indicate that woodland productivity, in isolation, may not be a
viable predictor of prehistoric pinyon procurement strategies in the Great Basin. |
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Description:
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Thesis (M.A., Anthropology) -- California State University, Sacramento, 2009. |
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URI:
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http://hdl.handle.net/10211.9/765
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Date:
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2010-10-26 |
