Theses and Dissertations

Agnes Burris

Issuing Body

Mississippi State University

Advisor

Rafferty, Janet

Committee Member

Peacock, Evan

Committee Member

Hogue, Homes

Committee Member

Dunnell, C. Robert

Date of Degree

5-13-2006

Document Type

Graduate Thesis - Open Access

Major

Applied Anthropology

Degree Name

Master of Arts

College

College of Arts and Sciences

Department

Department of Sociology, Anthropology and Social Work

Abstract

There is a universally recognized need for a more refined chronological understanding of the Early Holocene in the Southeast. The Paleoindian/Early Archaic period deposits at the Hester site provide an opportunity to refine the local chronology for northeast Mississippi. Three-dimensional spatial analysis of these deposits revealed the presence of at least four distinct occupations. Attribute-level morphological analysis of projectile points excavated from these occupations indicated that base width, shoulder width, and basal indentation ratio, changed significantly through time. A paradigmatic classification system employing these attributes was used to classify the projectile points from Hester. These classes were successfully seriated indicating that they are true historical classes. The range of historical classes indicates that this alternative to the traditional point typology may provide greater chronological precision for the Early Holocene in northeast Mississippi.

URI

https://hdl.handle.net/11668/18336

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