Archaic Hunter-Gatherer Landscape Use in West-Central Kentucky

Recent fieldwork near Cypress Creek, a tributary of the Green River in western Kentucky, clarifies our understanding of Archaic Period (10,000–3000 b.p.) occupation and land-use. A survey of 611 ha of land identified 40 previously unknown sites in four environmental zones. These data were used in conjunction with museum collections and the state site file to show that the Archaic population of the area varied in size over time, the use of different parts of the landscape shifted, and strategies to minimize risk changed. While these data generally parallel findings from other parts of the mid continental United States, they also underscore the variability in adaptations at that time.