Description, Microwear, and Morphometrics of Clovis and Possible-Clovis Lithic Artifacts from the Kasten Site, Erie County, Ohio, USA

ABSTRACT

The Kasten Site is a multicomponent plowzone site in Erie County, Ohio that possesses a Late Pleistocene Clovis lithic assemblage. Here, we describe the late Pleistocene Clovis, and possible-Clovis, lithic artifacts via technological descriptions, illustrations and images, morphometrics, and microwear. The lithic artifacts are made from cherts which appear to outcrop between 94.7 and 356.8 km from the site. Based on our descriptions, we suggest that the Kasten site is a small logistical site, whereby a small number Clovis people occupied it ephemerally for the purposes of resource procurement. Given the microwear evidence, this resource may have been animal prey, but given that the site is adjacent to a topographic depression, the desired resource could also have been water.

KEYWORDS:

• Lithic technology
• North America
• Ohio
• Clovis
• Great lakes

Acknowledgements

Authors’ contributions: P.K. recovered the archaeological specimens. P.K., B.R., M.R.B., and M.I.E. conducted the site visit. M.I.E. and M.R.B. conducted the technological descriptions. G.L.M. conducted the microwear analysis. B.B. conducted the morphometrics analysis. M.T.B. conducted the least cost path analyses. All authors prepared the figures, wrote the main manuscript text, and reviewed the manuscript.

Disclosure Statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

Availability of Data and Materials

All archaeological specimens described in this manuscript are available for study at the Cleveland Museum of Natural History. All data relevant to this manuscript are available in the manuscript itself.

Additional information

Funding

M.I.E. and M.R.B. are supported by the Kent State University College of Arts and Sciences.