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Reassessing the Radiocarbon Date from the Buhl Burial from South-Central Idaho and Its Relevance to the Western Stemmed Tradition–Clovis Debate in the Intermountain West

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  16 June 2020

Christopher S. Jazwa Open the ORCID record for Christopher S. Jazwa [Opens in a new window] ,
Geoffrey M. Smith ,
Richard L. Rosencrance ,
Daron G. Duke  and
Dan Stueber
Christopher S. Jazwa*
Affiliation:
Department of Anthropology, University of Nevada, Reno, 1664 N. Virginia Street, MS 0096, Reno, NV 89557, USA
Geoffrey M. Smith
Affiliation:
Department of Anthropology, University of Nevada, Reno, 1664 N. Virginia Street, MS 0096, Reno, NV 89557, USA
Richard L. Rosencrance
Affiliation:
University of Oregon Museum of Natural and Cultural History, 1224 University of Oregon, 1680 E. 15th Avenue, Eugene, OR 97403, USA
Daron G. Duke
Affiliation:
Desert Branch, Far Western Anthropological Research Group, 1180 Center Point Drive, Suite 100, Henderson, NV 89074, USA
Dan Stueber
Affiliation:
Department of Anthropology, University of Victoria, PO Box 1700 STN SCS, Victoria, British Columbia, Canada V8W 2Y2
*
(cjazwa@unr.edu, corresponding author)
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Abstract

A single radiocarbon date derived from the Buhl burial in south-central Idaho has frequently been used as a data point for the interpretation of the Western Stemmed Tradition (WST) chronology and technology because of the stemmed biface found in situ with the human remains. AMS dating of bone collagen in 1991 produced an age of 10,675 ± 95 14C BP, immediately postdating the most widely accepted age range for Clovis. The Buhl burial has been cited as evidence that stemmed point technology may have overlapped with Clovis technology in the Intermountain West. We discuss concerns about the radiocarbon date, arguing that even at face value, the calibrated date has minimal overlap with Clovis at the 95.4% range. Furthermore, the C:N ratio of 3.69 in the analyzed collagen is outside of the typical range for well-preserved samples, indicating a postdepositional change in carbon composition, which may make the date erroneously older or younger than the age of the skeleton. Finally, the potential dietary incorporation of small amounts of anadromous fish may indicate that the burial is younger than traditionally accepted. For these reasons, we argue that the Buhl burial cannot be used as evidence of overlap between WST and Clovis.

Una fecha por radiocarbono única derivada del entierro de Buhl en la central sur de Idaho se usa frecuentemente como un punto de dato para la interpretación de la cronología y la tecnología de la Tradición de Tallo Occidental (WST) como resultado de la presencia de una herramienta bifacial con tallo encontrada in situ con los restos humanos. El fechado con acelerador para espectrometría de masas (AMS) de colágeno de hueso en 1991 indicó una fecha de 10.675 ± 95 14C BP, inmediatamente después el rango de fechas aceptadas de Clovis. El entierro de Buhl ha sido citado como evidencia que quizás la tecnología de puntos de proyectiles con tallos traslapó con la tecnología de Clovis en la región Oeste Intermontano. Revisamos preocupaciones sobre la fecha por radiocarbono, discutiendo que, incluso a valor aparente, la fecha calibrada tiene superposición mínima con las de Clovis al rango de 95,4%. Además, el proporción de C:N de 3,69 en el colágeno analizado está fuera del rango típico para muestras bien conservadas, que indica un cambio después de deposición en la composición del carbono, cuyo puede hacer erróneamente la fecha aparecer más viejo o más joven que la fecha verdadera de los restos. Finalmente, la incorporación dietaría potencial de cantidades pequeñas de pescados anádromos puede indicar que los restos son más jóvenes que se piensa previamente. Por estas razones, discutimos que el entierro de Buhl no se puede usar como evidencia por el traslapo de WST y Clovis.

Keywords

Buhl burialWestern Stemmed TraditionIntermountain WestSnake RiverAMS datingClovisIdaho archaeologyPaleoindian archaeologyel entierro de BuhlTradició n de Tallo Occidental (WST)regió n Oeste IntermontanoRio Snakefechado con acelerador para espectrometrı́ a de masas (AMS)Clovisarqueología de Idahoarqueología paleoindia
Type
Reports
Information
American Antiquity , Volume 86 , Issue 1 , January 2021 , pp. 173 - 182
Copyright
Copyright © 2020 by the Society for American Archaeology

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