Younger Dryas-Aged Fluting, Cold, and Time Budgeting in the Great Plains and Rocky Mountains

Abstract

We argue that variation in Younger Dryas-aged fluting in the Great Plains and Rocky Mountains was primarily conditioned by cold-mediated time budgeting concerns. Foragers that lived in cold environments had more time to flute projectile points during prolonged periods of downtime relative to those in warmer, southerly environments. We show that fluting meets the expectations of a time budgeting model because (a) its frequency is negatively correlated with temperature and (b) it was most often executed in interior spaces, presumably during prolonged periods of downtime. Aided by a channel flake use wear study, we conclude that fluting was not functional in a purely economic sense. Rather, it was a form of practice, enacted by those for whom wasting time was of little concern.

Keywords:

• Folsom
• Younger Dryas
• bone needles
• time budgeting
• cold adaptation

Acknowledgements

We would like to acknowledge Jason LaBelle and Steve Holen for facilitating access to the Lindenmeier Pit 13 assemblage, Marcel Kornfeld and George Frison for access to the Agate Basin assemblage, and Nicole Waguespack for access to the Barger Gulch, Locality B assemblage. Todd Surovell made helpful comments that influenced the final incarnation of this study. Three anonymous reviewers gave us excellent comments that greatly improved the final version of this study.

ORCID

Spencer R. Pelton http://orcid.org/0000-0001-7429-8741

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Spencer R. Pelton

Author biographies

Spencer R. Pelton earned his MA in 2013 at Colorado State University and is currently a PhD student at the University of Wyoming. He is interested in foraging theory, lithic studies, experimental archaeology, and hominin thermoregulation.

Joshua R. Boyd

Joshua R. Boyd earned his MA in 2015 at the University of Wyoming and is interested in Paleoindian archaeology, lithic technology, and the archaeology of the Great Plains and Rocky Mountains.

Heather Rockwell

Heather Rockwell earned her PhD in 2014 at the University of Wyoming and currently works for the National Park Service. Her interests include northeastern Paleoindians and lithic use wear analysis.

Cody Newton

Cody Newton earned his MA in 2008 at Colorado State University and is currently a PhD candidate at the University of Colorado. He studies vertebrate paleontology and zooarchaeology as well as contact period archaeology in the Great Plains and Rocky Mountains.