The age of animals represented in a faunal assemblage coupled with assumptions o

Question

The age of animals represented in a faunal assemblage coupled with assumptions of their season of birth help establish a site’s “seasonality.” Likewise, the modern fruiting schedules of plants represented in sites by their seeds or other edible components suggest when a site was occupied.

Plant sources include macrobotanical remains (e.g., charred seeds recovered by flotation), phytoliths (silica nodules found in some plant stems), pollen, coprolites (preserved human feces), and lipids extracted from pottery. Each source has its strengths and weaknesses. Macrobotanical remains can be abundant, but it is not always clear if they represent food; coprolites clearly contain the remains of meals, but they are very short-term records.

EXERCISE: Use the following information presented as a map of eastern Colorado showing the location of eight sites spread between the plains, foot hills and mountains and the floral and faunal material recovered from them. In addition, the attached table of resources and availability is about common flora and fauna in eastern Colorado and the seasons they can be harvested.

Reconstruct the seasonal movement across the landscape of the people using these eight sites – provide a narrative and in your answer describe when people are at each site and their movement from one site to the next during the different seasons of the year. In addition, please create a chart or table illustrating what you discovered which includes when the remains that were recovered from each site would have been available during the year (June, July etc.). Upload your chart or table and the narrative which contains the description of your reconstruction of seasonal movement across the landscapes provided

Alpine ? ? Tundra A ?? Mountains Foothills Plains The following floral and faunal materials were recovered from the excavated sites Site 1Wild lily bulbs, bistort, and big horn sheep Site 2 - Bistort, acorns, and elk. Site 3 Dropseed, wild plum, sunflower, prickly pear fruit, big horn sheep Site 4 Prickly pear leaves, wild plum, sunflower, big horn sheep Site 5 Wild lily and big horn sheep Site 6 Prickly pear leaves and bison. Site 7 Currants, prickly pear leaves and bison Site 8 Prickly pear leaves, rice grass and bison

Explanation / Answer

From the presence of flora and fauna in the different climatic conditions the movement of people in this area can be elucidated . During winter from Late september to jan the people should migrate from plains to mountains . From feb to may they are present in plains. From june to sep they migrate to foothills. So, in winter the people are found in mountains to protect from cold and move downwards as cold receeds and summer proceeds . In summer they are found in plains. Wild lily , ascorns etc of site 1 and 2 are found only in winters . In site 3,4 and 5 the flora and fauna found are produced only in late winters and early summers and hence they are found in foot hills. In site 7 and 8 , the plants and animals found are produced in summer and hence they are in plains . The movement of flora and fauna tells us the movement of people in this region .

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