Date of Award

5-2024

Document Type

Thesis

Degree Name

Master of Arts in Applied Archaeology

Department

Anthropology

First Reader/Committee Chair

Danny Sosa Aguilar

Abstract

Located in Northwest Washoe County Nevada along the California and Nevada border, 26WA12962 is an upland spring site consisting of habitation debris and several thousand pieces of debitage on the surface. The purpose of this research project is to interpret energy dispersive x-ray fluorescence (EDXRF) results of 80 random samples of obsidian, and fine grain volcanics such as basalt and dacite from the excavations on 26WA12962 that were conducted in 2021. This thesis will investigate if there is a preference for a specific source, as well as assisting in gathering data within a lithic landscape. To accomplish this goal, I utilized XRF test results and ethnographies to answer three research questions: 1.) Where is the obsidian and basalt coming from? Is it local or exotic? 2.) Is there a preference for a specific material? If so, which material? And 3.) Is there an explanation for the preference using Ethnographies? For the purpose of my thesis, I am defining local to be the territory of the Kamotkut or 112.6 km (70 miles) from the site (Smith 2010).

I was ultimately able to determine that 55% of the sources that were identified were local, while 34% was undetermined and the remaining 16% was exotic. There also appeared to be a preference for the Bordwell spring group of obsidian. The location of material from these sources being found at the site can be attributed to the seasonal round, partly. The other explanation for the material could be attributed to opportunistic gathering.

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