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Measuring occupation span at two stone circle sites in Larimer County, Colorado

dc.contributor.authorMeeker, Halston F.C., author
dc.contributor.authorLaBelle, Jason M., advisor
dc.contributor.authorPante, Michael, committee member
dc.contributor.authorJacobi, Tobi, committee member
dc.date.accessioned2017-06-09T15:41:10Z
dc.date.available2017-06-09T15:41:10Z
dc.date.issued2017
dc.description.abstractStone circle sites are notorious for low artifact frequencies. This deters archaeological study because low artifact frequencies are thought to limit research potential. Two stone circle sites, Killdeer Canyon (5LR289) and T-W Diamond (5LR200) offer insight into short-term habitations, despite their low artifact frequencies. The two sites are located in northern Colorado, in the hogback zone along the Front Range of the Southern Rocky Mountains. The Colorado State University field school excavated the sites in 1982 and 1971 respectively. Artifacts from the interior of the features include lithic tools and debris, bone, and ceramics. This thesis examines each artifact class from excavated context as a proxy for understanding the length and number of occupations. Local and non-local chipped stone ratios, faunal procurement and processing strategies, and petrographic analysis are used to address how long and how many times each site was occupied. New radiocarbon dates show contemporaneity between rings at each site, dating Killdeer Canyon to the late A.D. 1600s and T-W Diamond to the late A.D. 1200s. These data demonstrate the ephemerality of the two sites but highlight potential differences in site use. While Killdeer Canyon likely represents a small group passing through an area, T-W Diamond could represent a larger group congregation, perhaps for hunting purposes. Furthermore, this thesis attests to the merit of using multiple lines of evidence to compensate for small sample sizes.
dc.format.mediumborn digital
dc.format.mediummasters theses
dc.identifierMeeker_colostate_0053N_14084.pdf
dc.identifier.urihttp://hdl.handle.net/10217/181359
dc.languageEnglish
dc.language.isoeng
dc.publisherColorado State University. Libraries
dc.relation.ispartof2000-2019
dc.rightsCopyright and other restrictions may apply. User is responsible for compliance with all applicable laws. For information about copyright law, please see https://libguides.colostate.edu/copyright.
dc.subjectstructure
dc.subjectresidential
dc.subjecthabitation
dc.subjectstone circle
dc.subject.lcshPlains
dc.subject.lcshRocky Mountains
dc.titleMeasuring occupation span at two stone circle sites in Larimer County, Colorado
dc.typeText
dcterms.rights.dplaThis Item is protected by copyright and/or related rights (https://rightsstatements.org/vocab/InC/1.0/). You are free to use this Item in any way that is permitted by the copyright and related rights legislation that applies to your use. For other uses you need to obtain permission from the rights-holder(s).
thesis.degree.disciplineAnthropology
thesis.degree.grantorColorado State University
thesis.degree.levelMasters
thesis.degree.nameMaster of Arts (M.A.)

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