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REVISITING HOGUP CAVE, UTAH: INSIGHTS FROM NEW RADIOCARBON DATES AND STRATIGRAPHIC ANALYSIS

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  05 May 2017

Erik P. Martin ,
Joan Brenner Coltrain  and
Brian F. Codding
Erik P. Martin*
Affiliation:
Department of Anthropology and Archaeological Center, University of Utah, 270 S. 1400 E. RM 102, Salt Lake City, UT 84112, USA
Joan Brenner Coltrain
Affiliation:
Department of Anthropology and Archaeological Center, University of Utah, 270 S. 1400 E. RM 102, Salt Lake City, UT 84112, USA
Brian F. Codding
Affiliation:
Department of Anthropology and Archaeological Center, University of Utah, 270 S. 1400 E. RM 102, Salt Lake City, UT 84112, USA
*
(erik.martin@anthro.utah.edu, corresponding author)
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Abstract

The remarkable finds from the trans-Holocene archaeological record excavated at Hogup Cave, Utah, helped define our understanding of Great Basin prehistory. However, many scholars doubt the integrity of the site's depositional sequence and resulting chronological interpretations. To resolve these concerns, we produce several Bayesian chronological models combining 14 new radiocarbon dates with the results of past dating efforts. We first present an examination of the excavation and previously derived dates, finding that several of the most anomalous dates can be accounted for by details in the excavation's field notes. We then report our new dates and construct an initial Bayesian chronological model to serve as a framework for three increasingly complex models synthesizing old and new dates from the site. The best-supported model divides the site's stratigraphy into four occupational phases: Strata 1 through 7 (9790 to 6490 cal B.P.), Stratum 8 (5840 to 3330 cal B.P.), Strata 9 and 10 (2870 to 2760 cal B.P.), and Strata 11 through 16 (2610 to 360 cal B.P.). This result raises several questions to direct future research and dating efforts at Hogup Cave and serves as a model for reevaluating complex stratigraphic sequences in western North America and beyond.

Los descubrimientos excepcionales del registro arqueológico trans-Holoceno excavado en Hogup Cave, Utah, han ayudado a definir nuestro entendimiento de la prehistoria de la Gran Cuenca. Sin embargo, muchos estudiosos dudan la integridad de la secuencia deposicional del yacimiento y, por consiguiente, la validez de las interpretaciones resultantes. Para resolver este problema, se produjeron varios modelos cronológicos bayesianos que combinan 14 nuevas fechas de radiocarbono con las fechas procedentes de trabajos anteriores. En primer lugar se presenta un análisis de la excavación y de las fechas obtenidas anteriormente, demostrando que varias de las fechas más anómalas son explicadas en las notas de excavación. Luego se reportan las nuevas fechas y se presenta un modelo cronológico bayesiano inicial que es utilizado como marco de referencia para producir tres modelos cada vez más complejos que sintetizan las fechas anteriores y las más recientes. El modelo más consistente divide la estratigrafía del yacimiento en cuatro etapas de ocupación: los niveles 1–7 (9790-6490 cal a.P.), el nivel 8 (5840-3330 cal a.P.), los niveles 9–10 (2870-2760 cal a.P.) y los niveles 11–16 (2610-360 cal a.P.). Este resultado genera varias preguntas para guiar las investigaciones futuras en Hogup Cave y sirve como modelo para reevaluar las secuencias estratigráficas complejas en el oeste de Norteamérica y otras regiones.

Type
Reports
Information
American Antiquity , Volume 82 , Issue 2 , April 2017 , pp. 301 - 324
Copyright
Copyright © 2017 by the Society for American Archaeology 

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