Late Holocene Toolstone Procurement and Land-Use Strategies in the Black Rock Desert and High Rock Country of Northwest Nevada

This thesis tests current interpretations of Late Holocene (5,000 cal BP to present) archaeology for the Black Rock Desert and High Rock Country (BRD/HRC) through an assessment of the toolstone procurement and land-use strategies of the region's prehistoric occupants. This is achieved through: lithic analysis from Paiute Creek Shelter (PCS), a recently excavated rock shelter with stratified cultural remains spanning the Late Holocene; X-ray fluorescence analysis of artifacts from PCS, Hanging Rock Shelter, Silent Snake Springs, and Smokey Creek Cave; and spatial analysis of 623 archaeological sites in the BRD/HRC. Results indicate that no changes occurred in how obsidian toolstone was procured between the Middle Archaic (5,000-1,500 cal BP) and Late Archaic (1,500 cal BP to contact), while residential mobility intensified during the Late Archaic, likely promoting increased trade in the region.

Level thesis:degree_level

Master's Degree

Year dc:date.issued

2013

Author dc:creator

• LaValley, Stephen J.

Advisor dc:contributor.advisor

• Smith, Geoffrey M.

Committee members dc:contributor.committeemember

• Haynes, Gary
• Bassett, Scott D.

• Black Rock Desert
• Great Basin
• High Rock Country
• Late Holocene
• Nevada
• Obsidian

Statement dc:rights

• In Copyright(All Rights Reserved)

Handle dc:identifier.uri

http://hdl.handle.net/11714/3017

OAI identifier oai:identifier

oai:scholarwolf.unr.edu:11714/3017