The spatial distribution of lithic materials : implications for early and middle archaic hunter-gatherer mobility in South Carolina

Trends in the spatial distribution of lithic material types used in the manufacture of hafted bifaces have been identified by archaeologists working on problems of culture history in the southeastern United States (Caldwell 1954, 1958; Coe 1952, 1964; Chapman 1975, 1977). In this thesis, these trends are further documented and refined for North and South Carolina during the Early and Middle Archaic periods (ca. 9,500-6,000 B.P.). The lithic material type and county proveniences have been analyzed for a robust sample of 13,389 Palmer\Kirk Corner Notched and Morrow Mountain I\Morrow Mountain II hafted bifaces. By focusing on the distribution of highly siliceous stone material from spatially circumscribed source areas, the author is able to suggest that huntergatherer territorial ranges were extensive during the Early Archaic period in the South Carolina Piedmont. Based on the evidence presented herein, it is hypothesized that band territories include multiple drainages with frequent movement across the grain of the Piedmont's river systems. This interpretation runs counter to the popular Anderson-Hanson (1988) single drainage band-macroband settlement model.