In the Eastern Fluted Point Tradition

By Joseph A. M. Gingerich

Eastern North America has one of the largest inventories of Paleoindian sites anywhere in the Americas. Despite this rich record of early human settlement during the late Pleistocene, there are few widely published reports or summaries of Paleoindian research in the region. The contributors to this volume present more than four decades of Early Paleoindian research in eastern North America, including previously unpublished site reports and updates on recent research. Their work helps create a more cohesive picture of the early human occupation of North America.

This data-rich volume provides specific information on artifacts and basic site descriptions which will allow for more thorough comparisons of eastern fluted point sites. Divided into four sections—chronology and environment, reinvestigations of classic sites, new sites and perspectives, and synthesis and conclusions—the volume will encourage further consideration of the sites included and their role in shaping our understanding of huntergatherer lifeways during the late Pleistocene. In the Eastern Fluted Point Tradition is a must read for scholars of Paleoindian archaeology and those generally interested in the prehistory of North America.

Joseph A. M. Gingerich is a Research Fellow in the Anthropology Department at the Smithsonian Institution, National Museum of Natural History. He received his PhD at the University of Wyoming.

Table of Contents:

List of Figures
List of Tables
Preface
Introduction - Joseph A. M. Gingerich

Part I. Paleoindian Chronology and Paleoenvironmental Considerations
1. Paleoindian Chronology and the Eastern Fluted Point Tradition - D. Shane Miller and Joseph A. M. Gingerich
2. Paleoindian Environment and Subsistence Paradigm Case from New England to Virginia and Ohio. - Lucinda J. McWeeney
3. Reconstructing the Pleistocene Environment of the Greater Southeast - Jessi J. Halligan

Part II. Reinvestigations of Classic Sites
4. A Report on the 2008 Field Investigations at the Shoop Site (36da20) - Kurt W. Carr, J. M. Adovasio, and Frank J. Vento
5. Spatial Organization at Bull Brook - Brian S. Robinson and Jennifer C. Ort
6. Fifty Years of Discovery at Plenge: Rethinking the Importance of New Jerseyís Largest Paleoindian Site - Joseph A. M. Gingerich
7. The Wells Creek Site: Results of a Reanalysis - Jesse Tune
8. The Flint Run Complex: A Quarry Related Paleoindian Complex in the Great Valley of Northern Virginia - Kurt Carr, R. Michael Stewart, Dennis Stanford, and Michael Frank
9. Revisiting Shawnee-Minisink - Joseph A. M. Gingerich

Part III. New Sites and Perspectives
10. Paleoindian Toolstone Provisioning and Settlement Organization at the Higgins Site, 18AN489 - John C. Blong
11. Topper Site, South Carolina: An Overview of the Clovis Lithic Assemblage from the Topper Hillside - Ashley Smallwood, D. Shane Miller, and Doug Sain
12. Tennesseeís Paleoindian Record: The Cumberland and Lower Tennessee River Watersheds - John R. Broster, Mark Norton, D. Shane Miller, Jesse W. Tune, Jon D. Baker
13. Endscrapers, Use-wear and Early Paleoindians in Eastern North America - Thomas Loebel

Part IV. Observations on the Early Paleoindian Settlement of Eastern North America
14. The Search for Pre-Clovis in Eastern North America: A Critical Evaluation of the Evidence - Stuart Fiedel
15. The Weight and Meaning of Eastern Paleoindian Research - Gary Haynes
16. Paleoindian Archaeology in Eastern North America: Current Approaches and Future Directions - David G. Anderson

List of Contributors
Index

Praise and Reviews:

“Over 40 years in the making, this hefty volume provides an invaluable compilation of data and interpretations. Older classic sites as well as more recent discoveries are brought together in a useful contemporary synthesis which brings eastern Paleoindian research into mainstream North American studies.”—Albert C. Goodyear, Institute of Archaeology & Anthropology, University of South Carolina

“This book would have very little competition from existing works and be much in demand amongst the large potential readership that works in this field.”—Christopher J. Ellis, University of Western Ontario, London, Canada

“This book significantly advances our understanding of human populations in the eastern North America during the late Pleistocene. Collectively, the site studies and synthetic chapters provide new insights on eastern Paleoindian adaptations to the changing environments these people encountered at the end of Ice Age. Such research offers a timely human perspective from the past as we contemplate abrupt climate change today.”—Jonathan Lothrop, Curator of Archaeology, New York State Museum

“Provides a valuable compendium of Paleoindian sites and data, including several previously unreported or under-reported sites. This volume will serve as an important reference and data source, not just for Paleoindian researchers, but also for archaeologists with broader interests in North American prehistory.”—Canadian Journal of Archaeology