Radiocarbon Record for Archaic Occupation of the Central Colorado Plateau
Geib PR. 1995. Radiocarbon Record for Archaic Occupation of the Central Colorado Plateau. Pages 89-136. In Van Riper C (ed): Proceedings of the Second Biennial Conference on Research in Colorado Plateau National Parks. Northern Arizona University, Flagstaff, Arizona. 25-28 October 1993. National Park Service. Denver, Colorado. Proceedings of the Biennial Conference of Research on the Colorado Plateau
The traditional view of Archaic hunter-gatherer occupancy of the Colorado Plateau assumes population continuity and gradual evolutionary change. An alternative model contends that the Archaic period was punctuated by regional abandonments and reoccupations resulting in a succession of new lifeways and material culture. The numerous preceramic radiocarbon dates obtained from the central Colorado Plateau in the last 2 decades are tabulated and graphically summarized to provide a context for evaluating these two models. Long-term continuity in occupancy throughout the Archaic period is supported. Adaptive shifts that involved increased residential mobility and changes in settlement pattern probably account for previous gaps in the Colorado Plateau radiocarbon record, such as the 1,000-year interval during the middle Archaic (ca. 6000-5000 B.P. [before the present]). Because of the exceptional preservation of subsistence remains and perishable technology within numerous stratified dry shelters, copious paleoenvironmental data from a variety of sources, and occupation throughout the Archaic period, the central Colorado Plateau emerges as a highly productive area for studying hunter-gatherer adaptations and economic transitions, including the adoption of agriculture.
- Type
- Conference Proceeding Paper
- Authors
- Geib, Phil
- Units
- HIST , IMR
- Keywords
- Archaic period, Chronology, Colorado Plateau, ehistory, Glen Canyon, Hunter-Gatherers, Prehistory, radiocarbon, Southwest