Prehistoric Bison Hunters of the Southern Plains (USA)
Grasslands, Canyons, Bone Beds, and Spear Points
Lieferzeit: Print on Demand - Lieferbar innerhalb von 3-5 Werktagen I
ISBN-13:
9783639124644
Seiten:
412
Autor:
Kenneth Kraft
Gewicht:
632 g
Format:
220x150x24 mm
Sprache:
Englisch
Beschreibung:
Bison as a food source for southern Plains
cultures has fluxed through the millennia. The
focus on bison is likely correlated to available
forage. Environment-induced changes in herd size,
structure and distribution led to changes in human
predation. The Late Archaic saw the rise of a unique
type of bison procurement, the arroyo trap. Traps
were used for a relatively short period (150 BC to
AD 350). Instead of leading herds over a precipice,
herds were stampeded into dead-end canyons where
they were assailed. These cooperative ventures are
reflected in the bones removed from and the stones
and bones abandoned at the kill. The risk and energy
needed to exploit this resource transformed Late
Archaic hunter-gatherers from loosely affiliated
groups into a taskforce that assembled seasonally to
track, drive, kill, dismember, debone and transport
their quarry back to their individual kin groups.
This study should be useful to those interested in
Great Plains prehistory, applying hunter-gatherer
theory, or employing archaeological methods and
techniques used to excavate, analyze and interpret
skeletal remains associated with a catastrophic kill.
cultures has fluxed through the millennia. The
focus on bison is likely correlated to available
forage. Environment-induced changes in herd size,
structure and distribution led to changes in human
predation. The Late Archaic saw the rise of a unique
type of bison procurement, the arroyo trap. Traps
were used for a relatively short period (150 BC to
AD 350). Instead of leading herds over a precipice,
herds were stampeded into dead-end canyons where
they were assailed. These cooperative ventures are
reflected in the bones removed from and the stones
and bones abandoned at the kill. The risk and energy
needed to exploit this resource transformed Late
Archaic hunter-gatherers from loosely affiliated
groups into a taskforce that assembled seasonally to
track, drive, kill, dismember, debone and transport
their quarry back to their individual kin groups.
This study should be useful to those interested in
Great Plains prehistory, applying hunter-gatherer
theory, or employing archaeological methods and
techniques used to excavate, analyze and interpret
skeletal remains associated with a catastrophic kill.