Formal analyses and functional accounts of groundstone “plummets” from Poverty Point, Louisiana |
| |
Authors: | Carl P. Lipo Timothy D. Hunt |
| |
Affiliation: | a California State University Long Beach (CSULB), Department of Anthropology and IIRMES, 1250 Bellflower Blvd., Long Beach, CA 90840, United States b Society for the Advancement of Scientific Archaeology (SASA), 819 N 49th St. #413, Seattle, WA, United States c Mississippi State University, Department of Anthropology and Middle Eastern Cultures, P.O. Box AR, Mississippi State University, MS 39762, United States |
| |
Abstract: | Groundstone plummets of magnetite or hematite are commonly found artifacts of the Late Archaic period in Louisiana. While often assumed to have functioned as weights for fishnets or as thrown objects used to catch waterfowl, relatively little empirical evidence has been generated to explain their form and features relative to hypothesized performance in prehistoric behavior. To address this deficiency, we provide a morphometric analysis of the variability in plummet shape as a means for studying the performance constraints inherent to their use. Based on our analyses, we find that plummet form is well explained as a component of weighted looms, supporting the early use weaving technology in the Late Archaic of Eastern North America. |
| |
Keywords: | Late Archaic Poverty Point Plummets Mississippi River valley Artifacts Weaving |
本文献已被 ScienceDirect 等数据库收录! |
|