| As traditional interpretations of New World colonization become increasingly unpopular, researchers argue that many of the traditionally established spatial, temporal, and technological characteristics of Clovis also need to be reevaluated. This dissertation assesses these arguments in several ways. First, the spatial distribution of Clovis projectile points across North America is examined to determine what point distribution can indicate about the colonization process and the origin of Clovis, and whether point distribution is related to factors affecting point visibility. Using county-level data for a sample of states from the western and southeastern U.S., the dissertation demonstrates that Clovis projectile point distribution is significantly related to modern population density, cultivated acreage, intensity of archaeological research, and measures of environmental productivity, and that interpreting Clovis point distribution is therefore more complex than frequently assumed. Next, the dissertation evaluates recent claims that the duration of Clovis is several hundred years shorter than previously estimated. This newly defined age range, based on a very small sample of Clovis sites, is argued by some researchers to support the spread of Clovis technology through existing populations rather than the spread of populations themselves throughout the continent. By simulating colonization and randomly sampling the distribution of Clovis sites created during the course of colonization, the dissertation demonstrates that a small sample of well dated Clovis sites is incapable of accurately representing the true duration of the colonization event. Arguments that the newly defined, constricted time range supports the spread of Clovis technology through existing populations rather than the spread of populations themselves throughout the continent are therefore not supported. Finally, the dissertation evaluates recent critiques that many post-Clovis Paleoindian sites do not conform to traditional expectations of early Paleoindian technological organization, and that these expectations as a whole should therefore be reevaluated. Although much technological variation has been demonstrated within the Paleoindian period, assemblage-level tests of the degree to which Clovis technology conforms to traditional expectations are lacking, even though these expectations were originally designed with Clovis in mind. The dissertation therefore compares the lithic assemblage from the Sheaman Clovis site in eastern Wyoming to a sample of post-Clovis Paleoindian assemblages to assess the potential uniqueness of Clovis technological organization. Minimum Analytical Nodule Analysis is then used to provide a more detailed picture of Clovis technological planning strategies. The Sheaman assemblage fulfills traditional expectations of Clovis technological organization, and appears unique in many ways compared to later Paleoindian manifestations. As a whole, the analyses within this dissertation suggest that we do not have an empirical basis for rejecting many of the traditionally noted spatial, temporal, and technological characteristics of Clovis. |
