Microdebitage analysis of 3rd Unnamed Cave : a terminal archaic chert mine on the Cumberland Plateau

The purpose of this study was to examine the distribution of microartifacts in a prehistoric chert mine located deep within the dark zone of 3^rd Unnamed Cave, which is located on the Cumberland Plateau of Tennessee. Previous research at this site concluded that prehistoric hunter-gatherers entered the cave about 3,000 years ago to mine and then extensively test and reduce chert nodules, subsequently leaving hundreds of piles of flintknapping debris in primary position. Microartifacts were used in this study to augment and strengthen the inferences made about the mining and flintknapping activities practiced in 3rd Unnamed Cave during the Terminal Archaic. Microartifact analysis has been shown to be particularly useful in the identification of activity areas, due to the fact that sediment-size artifacts are less subject to postdepositional disturbance than larger artifactsIn this research spatial distributions of microartifacts are analyzed and compared to macroartifact spatial distributions in order to test if the flintknapping concentrations are in fact primary accumulations or secondary deposits. It is proposed that if these lithic accumulations are in primary position, the distribution of macrolithics will have a corresponding distribution of microlithics. The microartifact distribution in stratified profiles within the mining chamber will also be analyzed in order to detect possible buried activity areas.