Technological Analysis of Lithics from the North Bank of the Blackwater Draw Site

Book excerpt: Blackwater Draw Locality No. 1, the Clovis type site located in eastern New Mexico, is one of the most important Paleoindian kill and camp sites in North America. Several episodes of archaeological investigations have occurred at the site, but analyses of cultural materials and dissemination of results remain in varied stages of completion. For example, the systemic technological analysis of lithic artifacts recovered from excavations at the site's "North Bank" are still lacking. The purpose of this study is to conduct a detailed lithic analysis of the North Bank of the gravel pit at the Blackwater Draw site in order to better understand the organization of lithic technology when forming reconstructions of Paleoindian behavior through time at the site. I interpreted Paleoindian behavior by examining lithic tools and debitage through macroanalysis. My methodology consists of metric and non-metric attribute analysis of debitage and chipped stone tools to examine patterns potentially evident of Paleoindians technological organization from procurement through manufacture, use, maintenance, and discard. This study and its results will increase our knowledge of the lithic activities at the North Bank of the Blackwater Draw site.