A Comparison of Clovis Blade Technologies at the Topper and Big Pine Tree Sites, Allendale County, South Carolina.

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1 University of Tennessee, Knoxville From the SelectedWorks of Douglas Allen Sain November 5, 2009 A Comparison of Clovis Blade Technologies at the Topper and Big Pine Tree Sites, Allendale County, South Carolina. Douglas Allen Sain Available at:

2 See discussions, stats, and author profiles for this publication at: A Comparison of Clovis Blade Technologies at the Topper and Big Pine Tree Sites, Allendale County, South Carolina. CONFERENCE PAPER NOVEMBER 2009 CITATION 1 1 AUTHOR: Douglas Sain Terracon 15 PUBLICATIONS 1 CITATION SEE PROFILE All in-text references underlined in blue are linked to publications on ResearchGate, letting you access and read them immediately. Available from: Douglas Sain Retrieved on: 09 December 2015

3 A COMPARISON OF CLOVIS BLADE TECHNOLOGIES ST THE TOPPER AND BIG PINE TREE SITES, ALLENDALE COUNTY, SOUTH CAROLINA By; Douglas Sain Paper Presented at the 66 th Annual Meeting of the Southeastern Archaeology Conference. Mobile, Alabama November 5 th, 2009.

4 INTRODUCTION In 2008, analysis was undertaken of a sample of blades and cores recovered from several seasons of intensive field excavations at the Topper Site (38AL23) in Allendale County, South Carolina. One goal of this analysis was to provide a better understanding of the role of Clovis blade technology at the site, as well as in the Savannah River Valley. The results of this analysis found that Clovis macro prismatic blades were produced at Topper, though there appears to be little evidence for blade utilization at the site. A Subsequent examination was conducted of a number of blades recovered from the outlying region. The results of this analysis showed that blades recovered offsite are technologically comparable to those at Topper, and all exhibit evidence of retouch, or utilization (Sain 2008). The Big Pine Tree site, (38AL143) located about 1km up-stream from Topper, has produced an abundance of blades, cores, and blade production debitage through extensive archaeological investigations (Goodyear 1999). Accordingly, this assemblage was examined to evaluate the incidence of blade production and use at the site, and to provide a means of comparison to other blade assemblages. This presentation reports results of this analysis. BLADES Blades are a well-known class of lithic artifact. A blade is an elongated type of flake, which is detached from a specifically designed core (Collins1999a). Attributes

5 used to define a blade include two or more parallel scars of previous blade removals, parallel lateral margins, and triangular to trapezoidal cross sections. Blades are considered highly useful blanks for a variety of cutting and scraping tools. A combination of specific attributes, including but not limited to long, sharp, even and acute lateral margins, provides for a flexible and versatile tool form that lends blades and tools made on blades as sufficient for various tasks (Boldurian and Hoffman 2009). Functions that blades may have served include slicing, cutting, and scraping, related to working organic media such as skin, meat, wood, and bone. If cutting edges became dull through use, simple maintenance by retouching the blade margin allowed additional use-life for such tools. In an influential study devoted to Clovis blade technology, Dr Michael Collins (1999a) examined a number of blade assemblages from the Southern Plains and Mid South. This study was undertaken as a means to identify the diagnostic characteristics of Clovis blade technology versus possible blades recovered from non-clovis contexts. Based on his results, Collins found that Clovis blades generally share a number of distinct technological attributes. Such attributes include flat or diffuse bulbs of force, small platform remnants, and longitudinal cross sections that are curved in profile (Collins 1999a, Dickens 200). According to Collins study, Clovis blades can be greater than 100mm in length, but no less than 50mm (Collins 1999a). These characteristics were found by Collins to be virtually diagnostic of Clovis blade production. However, Collins analysis focused primarily on blade caches recovered from the Southern Plains and Mid- South of the U.S.

6 Clovis blades have been found at two sited in the Savannah River Valley, at Topper, and also at Big Pine Tree. These blades have been recovered in secure, excavated context (Goodyear 2009; Steffy and Goodyear 2006). Studies here can provide additional insights into potential regional variation in Clovis blade technology. RESEARCH AT TOPPER The Topper Site is a Clovis chert quarry, and quarry related reduction site located in the Savannah River Valley of South Carolina. In a preliminary report on the recognition of blades at Topper, Steffy and Goodyear found that some attributes of these artifacts appear to differ from the traditional definition of a Clovis blade as provided by Collins (Steffy and Goodyear 2006). To evaluate these observations, and to document if there exists any regional diversity in strategies of Clovis blade production and technological organization in the Savannah River Valley, a technological analysis was undertaken of a sample of the Topper blade assemblage (Sain 2008; 2009). The results of this analysis confirmed the findings of Steffy and Goodyear. Topper Clovis blades may be characterized as generally straight, having wide platform remnants with angles of 60 or greater, flat, diffuse bulbs of force, with parallel lateral margins and triangular to trapezoidal cross-sections. Morphologically, such blades may be as great as 150mm. In general, Topper blades range from 50 to 75mm in length. My analysis at Topper focused on the macro blades, with a minimum threshold of 30mm or greater. Some blades smaller than this are known to be present, and may be referred to as bladelets (Goodyear

7 2007 fig. 7). Blades recovered from Topper were found to derive from all stages of the manufacture process, including crest blades. However, interior blades occur most frequently. An examination of the formalized blade cores from Topper found that some variation exists in technical attributes and core form. Complete examples were found to be hoof shaped, representing an alternative reduction strategy than the conical or wedge shape cores most commonly reported from Clovis blade production. The most interesting discovery was the near absence at Topper of blades that exhibit evidence of having been modified or used. However, such attributes were found to be common among a sample of blades examined from isolated contexts throughout the region. At Topper then, it would appear that blade production was primarily geared toward the manufacture of tools for use away from the quarry. The results of the Topper blade analysis prompted interest in the nearby Big Pine Tree Clovis Site. Big Pine Tree, like Topper, also contains an abundant blade assemblage. In response to the findings at Topper, it was determined to carry out a similar technological analysis of the blade assemblage at Big Pine Tree. This examination was conducted in an effort to assess if similar patterns exist in strategies of blade technology between the two sites. BIG PINE TREE HISTORY The Big Pine Tree Site (38AL143) is a prehistoric multi-component quarry and quarry related lithic processing site located in the Savannah River Valley of Allendale County South Carolina (Goodyear 1999). The site is situated on Smith Lake Creek, an

8 active floodplain tributary of the Savannah River, which originates in the uplands to the east (Goodyear and Foss 1992). Albert C. Goodyear, and Tommy Charles of the South Carolina Institute of Archaeology and Anthropology first discovered Big Pine Tree in 1984 (Goodyear and Charles 1984). The presence of high quality chert, locally available as river cobbles from the bottom of Smith Lake Creek would have provided Paleoindians with excellent lithic resources from which to produce stone tools (Goodyear 1997, 1999). Archaeological excavations at Big Pine Tree began in In the process of building a boat-slip to the creek, Sandoz Corporation, the owner of the property on which Big Pine Tree is situated, uncovered an abundance of buried artifacts within the alluvial terrace adjacent to the creek bank. Included within this material was found a number of fluted bifaces of probable Clovis origin. This discovery was brought to the attention of Dr. Al Goodyear, and archaeological testing of the site commenced, eventually through the Allendale Paleoindian expedition. The purpose of archaeological excavation during the 1992 and 1993 field season was to expose the geologic profile along the boat slip, and to determine the presence and extent of any visible buried intact straigraphy. Backhoe excavations conducted in 1992 and 1993 to evaluate the sites georacheological context, have provided an understanding of the pedo-sedimentary sequence at the site (Goodyear 1999). Big Pine Tree is significant archaeologically, having alluvially buried intact Clovis deposits, overlain by sediment containing artifacts spanning the entire cultural sequence from the region (Goodyear 1999). Investigations conducted by Goodyear from at Big Pine Tree continued to reveal an assortment of cultural material. Over this period, a total of 80 square meters were excavated at the site, including additional underwater data recovery

9 from the creek (Goodyear 1999). The cultural sequence at the site includes Woodland period artifacts at depths of 30-60cmbs, a Middle Archaic Midden from 60-90cmbs, an Early Archaic occupation from cmbs with Taylor side notched as well as Dalton points (Goodyear 1999). The density of lithic material was found to be greatest at the deepest levels ( cmbs), and represents the Clovis occupation at the site. Here, lithic material was recovered resulting from primary core reduction and stone tool manufacture. The Clovis occupation of the site is documented by the presence of two complete fluted Clovis points, as well as numerous preforms and bifaces recovered in various stages of production. Within these strata were also found an abundance of unifacial tools including prismatic blades, side and end scrapers, a number of which appear to have been hafted (Goodyear 1995FP). Interestingly, many of the blades are small (Goodyear 1996). The apparent presence and density of artifacts at found at Big Pine Tree, including utilization observed on blades suggests that the site may have served a number of activities apart from chert processing and stone tool manufacture (Goodyear 1999). The present analysis will examine this suggestion in greater detail. RESEARCH DESIGN The sample of blades examined for this analysis was taken from multiple test excavations carried out at the Big Pine Tree Site from The blades examined were selected based on a particular set criteria: For example, only blades recovered from strata bearing diagnostic Clovis artifacts were examined. Diagnostic Clovis artifacts included bifaces, and projectile point preforms. Such artifacts are typically found at Big

10 Pine Tree at depths ranging from 115 to 135 cm (Goodyear 1999). Using this criteria, a total sample size of 474 blades, and 13 blade cores and core fragments from Clovis bearing strata were selected for analysis. Blade analysis was initially conducted by recording technological as well as morphological attributes for each artifact. Technological attributes include directionality of prior removal scars, cross section, bulbar definition, and lateral margin profile. The attribute conditions recorded in this analysis were the same as those recorded for blades at Topper. This was done as a means to compare strategies of blade production between the Topper and Big Pine Tree assemblages. In addition to the technological examination, morphologic measures of total length, width, and weight were recorded for each complete blade. All blades were subsequently classified as to the presence or absence of any post detachment modification. Where identified, the margin on which modification exists is recorded, and the extent is measured in mm. All measurements of length and width were conducted using electronic digital calipers to the nearest 1mm. Modification is identified macroscopically or with the aid of a hand-held lens. RESULTS OF ANALYSIS The results of this analysis show that blades recovered from the Clovis age strata at Big Pine Tree are technologically comparable to those found at Topper, though they exhibit a much higher incidence of modification in the form of retouch. Big Pine Tree blades, like those found at Topper, frequently have two or more parallel uni-directional scars of previous detachments on the exterior surface, are struck from a single end, are

11 straight as opposed to curved in longitudinal section, and exhibit wide, platform remnants. Furthermore, such blades generally have triangular to trapezoidal cross sections, exhibit parallel lateral margins, and have diffuse bulbs of force. The platform remnants of Big Pine Tree Blade, like blades at Topper, have angles of 60 degrees or more, attributes indicative of technological blade manufacture as opposed to biface production or bifacial retouch. Of the blades examined (474), most (315) are complete. The remaining artifacts (159) are comprised of proximal, medial, and distal fragments. All complete blades were classified according to size, based in increments of 5mm. When all complete blades were examined according to length, the results show that most are shorter than 50mm. Only 71 blades were found to be greater than 50mm. A frequency distribution of the complete blades illustrates two peaks, with the majority ranging in size from 20-25mm, and from 35-40mm respectively. Longer blades, those in excess of 60mm, occur less frequently, representing 12 percent of the total sample examined. All blades and blade fragments at Big Pine Tree were examined for the presence of modification or utilization. It was found that 39 (12%) of the complete blades, and 36 blade fragments exhibit some form of modification. Such modification consists of retouch along one or more lateral edges or an end. By comparison, blade modification at Topper was found to occur on less than 2% of a sample of 222 blades, far less frequently than was found to occur at Big Pine Tree. Though modification is present on blades from nearly every size class, it appears that longer blades are chosen for modification at higher frequencies than shorter blades. However, given that the number of macro blades recovered onsite is small when

12 compared to the quantity of smaller blades, this pattern may indicate that at least some longer blades were carried offsite for use elsewhere. A total of 13 blade cores were examined from Big Pine Tree. Of these, eight are complete and 5 represent blade core fragments. Four complete cores are polyhedral with unidirectional blade removals struck from a single platform. An additional two cores have multidirectional scars struck from two or more platforms. Of particular interest is the discovery of cores that appear to have been used in the production of small blades. A total of five such cores were identified from Big Pine Tree and were examined in this analysis. These cores have two or more parallel blade removal scars that are 50mm or less in length, and exhibit preparation along one or more core platforms. The blade core fragments have two or more scars of previous blade removals on at least one core face. At least three of these examples appear to be core rejuvenation flakes. In addition to the 13 cores examined in this analysis, a number of blade cores that exhibit similar attributes have been recovered out of context from the creek bed. These, as well as numerous blades and Clovis bifaces have been recovered here, deposited as a result of the site s western margin eroding into the creek. INTERPRETATION OF RESULTS An analysis of the blades and blade cores from the Topper site was originally undertaken in order to provide insight into strategies of formalized blade production and sequences in the manufacture trajectory. A result of this analysis was the production of data that could serve as a comparison to other blade assemblages and ultimately address broader issues such as technological organization and settlement subsistence patterns. A

13 comparison of the blade assemblages from the Topper and Big Pine Tree Sites revealed a number of intriguing findings. For example, the blades examined from Big Pine Tree were found to have a much higher incidence of modification and retouch. This discovery would seem to imply that the Clovis inhabitants at Big Pine Tree gave a greater emphasis to the use of blades onsite than at Topper. Moreover, the total number of blades that make up the assemblage from Big Pine Tree was far greater that the Topper blade assemblage. This discovery is compelling when one considers that the sample of artifacts examined for these analyses was taken from 80 square meters at Big Pine Tree, compared to 543 meters at Topper. (Miller and Smallwood 2009). An evaluation of blade morphology found a high percentage of small blades at Big Pine Tree. It should be noted however, that while such blades are also present at Topper, my original analysis only recorded attributes for blades greater than 30mm in length. The discovery of small blades in Clovis contexts is intriguing in that blades of such size are generally not thought to be part of the Clovis lithic toolkit (Collins 1999a), and therefore may represent a regional variation in strategies of blade production. While this discovery may be interpreted as an alternative reduction strategy that complements macro blade production, it is also possible that morphological discrepancies in the raw material package influenced selection preferences and core form. For example, Big Pine Tree is located along a floodplain tributary of the Savannah River, and a primary source of raw material included chert cobbles extracted from the creek bottom (Goodyear 1999). At Topper, a significant source of raw material was from the upland chert outcropping. As such, variation in tool morphology may be influenced based on discrepancies in the raw material package available at each site. Likewise, site setting may have influenced

14 decisions in daily subsistence practices. The location of Big Pine Tree on an active floodplain provided easy access to the river, a place of plentiful riverine resources and a suitable place to live. If people were inhabiting Big Pine Tree for longer periods, it is likey that more activities will take place other than quarry and quarry related. As such, one may expect higher numbers of utilized tools such as blades in areas where activities such as scraping and cutting for hide, bone, and wood-working, are considered to be the greatest. The results of blade analysis at Topper and Big Pine Tree show that much knowledge can be gained from studies of blade assemblages from stratigraphically intact Clovis deposits in the Savannah River Valley. Future analyses could address other tool forms at Big Pine Tree, particularly as they relate to issues of site function and technological organization. The possibility of a habitation component at Big Pine Tree is intriguing, and warrants further evaluation. The high incidence of retouched and utilized blades strongly suggests on site craft activities, which may also be detectible in other tool classes, especially the unifaces. For example, a number of hafted end scrapers have been noted as also present in the Clovis levels at Big Pine Tree, a tool type lacking at Topper. Some of these end scrapers appear to have polish on their scraper bits, suggesting prolonged use. This might indicate the potential for microscopy, comparing use ware at both sites. Because of the closed stratigraphic nature of Clovis assemblages at Big Pine Tree and Topper, studies such as these can be used to illuminate broader aspects of Clovis settlement systems in the wider Savannah River Valley. Thank You

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16 REFERENCES CITED Boldurian A.T. and E. Hoffman 2009 Clovis Blade Manufacture: Analytical Procedure to Infer Technique North American Archaeologist, Vol. 30, No.2. Collins, Michael 1999a Clovis Blade Technology. Texas Archaeology and Ethnohistory Series. The University of Texas Press, Austin Ellis, Christopher et al ARCHAEOLOGY OF THE PLEISTOCENE-HOLOCENE TRANSITION IN EASTERN NORTH AMERICA. Quaternary International, Vol. 49/50, pp Goodyear, A.C The Early Holocene Occupation of the Southeastern United States: A Geoarchaeological Summary. In Ice Age Peoples of North America: Environments, Origins, and Adaptations of the First Americans. Robson Bonnichsen and Karen L. Turnmire, eds. Pp Corvallis: Oregon StateUniversity Press The Growing Evidence of A Late Paleoindian Dalton Occupation at the Big Pine Tree Site. Legacy, Vol 3, No. 1, March In: Features and Profiles P Update: Savannah River Quarry Site. Mammoth Trumpet, Vol 12, No2, March Center for the Study of The First Americans, Oregon State University, Corvallis, Oregon Site Near Savannah River Yields Clues to Paleoindians Mammoth Trumpet, Vol 11, No. 1, Center for the Study of the First Americans, Oregon State University, Corvallis, Oregon Archaeological Excavations at a Paleoindian and Archaic Site in Allendale County, SC. In: Features and Profiles P Arcaheological and Pedologiacl Investigations at Smiths Lake Creek (38Al135), Allendale County, SC. In Current Research in the Plesistocene Vol. 9.

17 Goodyear, A.C. and Tommy Charles 1984 An Archaeological Survey of Chert Quarries in Western Allendale County, South Carolina. Research Manuscript Series 195. Columbia: South Carolina Institute of Archaeology and Anthropology. Goodyear, A.C., and J.E. Foss 1992 The Stratigraphic Significance of Paleosols at Smith Lake Creek (38AL135) for the Study of the Pleistocene-Holocene Transistion in the Savannah River Valley. In Procedinge of the First International Conference on Pedo-Archaeology. The University of Tennessee Agricultural Experiment Station, Knoxville, TN. Goodyear, A.C. and Kenn Steffy 2003 Evidence of a Clovis Occupation at the Topper Site, 38AL23, Allendale County, South Carolina. Current Research in the Pleistocene 20: Miller, Shane D and Ashley M. Smallwood Beyond Stages: Modeling Clovis Biface Production at the Topper Site (38AL23), South Carolina. Paper presented at the 66 th Annual Meeting of the Southeastern Archaeology Conference, Mobile, AL.. Sain, Douglas A 2009 Blade echnology at The Topper Site. Paper presented at the 33 rd Annual meeting of the Archaeological Society of South Carolina, April 2009, Columbia, SC The Role of Blade Technology at The Topper Site. Paper presented at the 65 th Annual meeting of the Southeastern Archaeology Conference, November 2008, Charlotte, NC.