Temporal variability in lithic technological organization at the Keatley Creek Site

Temporal Variability in Lithic Technological Organization at the Keatley Creek Site (EeR17)The goal of this project is to examine the temporal variability in lithic technological organization at the Keatley Creek site (EeRl 7).The Keatley Creek site is located in the Mid-Fraser Canyon region of south-central British Columbia, During the 1999 University of Montana, Keatley Creek field excavations, thirty-one 50x50 centimeter^xcavationiaiits were excavated to determiae the extent of human occupation at this site.A total of 6,504 lithic artifacts that were recovered during the 1999 "UM excavations.TTie cultural components associated with these lithic artifacts include: the Lochnore phase (5,500-3,500 B. P.), the Shuswap horizon (3,500-2,400 B. P.), the Plateau horizon f2,40D-l,^200B.T.), and fhe"Kamloopsliorizon (1,200-200 B. P.).Very few lithic artifacts were recovered dating to the Shuswap horizon, so Aey have been omitted from this analysis.The 6,504 recoveredTithic artifacts were classified into three distinct categories: 368 tools, 320 pieces of mesodebitage, and 5,319 pieces of macroddjltage.Tor the purpose of this thesis, debitage and tools were examined separately.Chi-squared tablesTvereTised to examine the vari^ility in de1)ita^e assemblages between Keatley Creek's different cultural components by looking at cortex flak^ versus non-cortex fiakes,t>illetfiakes versus secondary/bipolar flakes, and primary flakes versus other flakes.Chi-squared tables were also used to compare cultural component-variability in curated versus expedient tool types and kill/butchery versus other chipped stone tool types.The results of the chi-squared tests demonstrated that two distmct patterns of technological organization were present at Keatley Creek.One pattern is associated^with the Lochnore phase and is dominated by lithic tools that are predominately curated.The lithic debris is produced by the maintenance and production of gear, representing a highly mobile hunting oriented occupation.The second pattern is associated with the Plateau horizon and the Kamloops horizon and isiikely oriented towards a more sedentary lifeway.This technological pattern is dominated by expedient flake tools.The reduction activities are focused on minimd tool maintenance and limited production of flake tools, likely from curated or stockpiled cores.