Mountains as crossroads : temporal and spatial patterns of high elevation activity in the Greater Yellowstone ecosystem, USA
In the archaeological literature, mountains are often portrayed as the boundaries between inhabited spaces. Yet occupying high elevations may have been an adaptive choice for ancient peoples, as rapidly changing elevations also offer variation in climate and resources over a relatively small area. So what happens, instead, if we put mountain landscapes at the center of our analyses of prehistoric seasonal rounds and ecological adaptation? This Ph.D. argues that, in order to understand any landscape that includes mountains, from the Alps to the Andes, one must include the ecology and archaeology of the highest elevations. Specifically, I base my findings on new fieldwork and lithic collections from the Absaroka and Beartooth Mountains in the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem (GYE) of the Rocky Mountains, which was a vital crossroads of prehistoric cultures for more than 11,000 years. I include five interlocking analyses. First, I consider the impacts of anthropogenic climate change on high elevation cultural resources, focusing on the diminishing resiliency of ancient high elevation ice patches and the loss of the organic artifacts and paleobiological materials they contain. Second, I create a dichotomous key for
Reckin, Rachel Jean
archaeology ; high elevation ; lithics ; hunter-gatherers ; foragers ; landscape archaeology ; human behavioral ecology ; ice patch archaeology ; mountain archaeology ; climate change ; projectile points ; typology ; obsidian sourcing ; land tenure ; occupational duration ; lithic raw material studies ; climatic refugia ; paleodemography ; paleoclimate ; Absaroka Mountains ; Beartooth Mountains ; Montana ; Wyoming ; Yellowstone National Park ; Numic Expansion ; Shoshone ; Crow ; diversity index ; population ; dichotomous key ; high altitude ; glacial archaeology
Mountains as crossroads : temporal and spatial patterns of high elevation activity in the Greater Yellowstone ecosystem, USA. In the archaeological literature, mountains are often portrayed as the boundaries between inhabited spaces. Yet occupying high elevations may have been an adaptive choice for ancient peoples, as rapidly changing elevations also offer variation in climate and resources over a relatively small area. So what happens, instead, if we put mountain landscapes at the center of our analyses of prehistoric seasonal rounds and ecological adaptation? This Ph.D. argues that, in order to understand any landscape that includes mountains, from the Alps to the Andes, one must include the ecology and archaeology of the highest elevations. Specifically, I base my findings on new fieldwork and lithic collections from the Absaroka and Beartooth Mountains in the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem (GYE) of the Rocky Mountains, which was a vital crossroads of prehistoric cultures for more than 11,000 years. I include five interlocking analyses. First, I consider the impacts of anthropogenic climate change on high elevation cultural resources, focusing on the diminishing resiliency of ancient high elevation ice patches and the loss of the organic artifacts and paleobiological materials they contain. Second, I create a dichotomous key for
mountains crossroad temporal_spatial pattern high elevation activity greater ecosystem usa archaeological literature mountain often portrayed boundary inhabit space yet occupy high elevation may adaptive choice ancient people rapidly_change elevation also_offer variation climate resource relatively_small area happens instead put mountain landscape center analyse prehistoric seasonal round ecological adaptation phd argues order landscape include mountain one_must include ecology archaeology high elevation specifically base_finding new fieldwork lithic collection mountains greater ecosystem mountains vital crossroad prehistoric culture include analysis first consider impact anthropogenic climate_change high elevation cultural resource focus diminish ancient high elevation ice loss organic artifacts material contain second create dichotomous key