VARIABILITY IN FLINTWORKING TECHNOLOGY AT THE KRAJACIC SITE: POSSIBLE RELATIONSHIPS TO THE PRE-CLOVIS PALEOINDIAN OCCUPATION OF THE CROSS CREEK DRAINAGE IN SOUTHWESTERN PENNSYLVANIA (LITHIC ANALYSIS)

This study provides a descriptive and technological analysis of 1,986 flaked stone implements and flintworking debris from the Krajacic site, an essentially unstratified, multicomponent lithic reduction station in the Cross Creek drainage of southwestern Pennsylvania. The artifact assemblage contains projectile points and small prismatic blades very similar to those from the early (Pre-Clovis) levels of Meadowcroft Rockshelter.; Technological analysis of the Krajacic site artifacts verifies the presence of several varieties of established core reduction, each of which may be culturally distinct. Of particular note are cylindrical polyhedral cores and small prismatic blades, the latter which are strongly reminiscent of those from the early levels of Meadowcroft.; Quantitative analysis of blades from the Krajacic site and Meadowcroft provide a distinctive set of technological characteristics on platform treatment as a means of identifying Paleoindian specimens within the study area. Comparisons of these blade attributes with similar data sets from other putative Pre-Clovis sites are conducted. The results suggest similarities to the representative flintworking technology at Fort Rock Cave in Oregon; and basic dissimilarities to that of Wilson Butte Cave in Idaho, and the Shriver site in Missouri. Additional comparisons of the small prismatic blades with Clovis-age blades from the Shoop site in Pennsylvania are conducted. Results indicate strong morphological and technological similarities between some of them and blades from the Cross Creek drainage.; Finally, quantitative analysis is employed to distinguish Pre-Clovis Miller Lanceolate projectile points from late Archaic Steubenville points in the Upper Ohio River Valley. Cluster analysis results provide a set of technomorphological characteristics that may identify Miller Lanceolates by flaking during late stages of manufacture and basal configuration.; Overall, the results of the study are significant in that they: (a) further elucidate the flintworking technology of Paleoindians in the Cross Creek drainage who manufactured Miller Lanceolate bifaces and small prismatic blades; (b) provide quantitative measures from technological criteria to identify Miller Lanceolate points and Paleoindian small prismatic blades; and (c) establish a partial basis for determining degrees of standardization and specialization in flaked stone tool kits among various putative Pre-Clovis Paleoindian sites throughout North America.