A Flaked Stone Crescent from a Stratified,Radiocarbon-Dated Site in the Northern Great Basin

Abstract

Seven sites in the Far West have produced crescents in dated contexts: of these, only two are in the Great Basin. Single dates from both Great Basin sites—the Sunshine Locality and Fort Rock Cave—suggest that crescents date to the terminal Pleistocene. Crescents from dated contexts in California suggest that they were also used during the early Holocene. We report the discovery of a crescent from a stratified, radiocarbon-dated rockshelter in southeast Oregon initially occupied ∼9600 calendar years ago (cal B.P.).

Although crescents may date to the terminal Pleistocene elsewhere in the Great Basin, our find indicates that they were also used during the early Holocene. Crossover Immunoelectrophoresis analysis of the crescent produced a positive reaction for pronghorn, suggesting that the tool contacted that taxon during butchering or hafting activities.

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