Identification of activity areas through lithic analysis : The Longhorn Site (41KT53) in the upper Brazos River Basin, Kent County, Texas

The Longhorn site (41KT53) represents a protohistoric Native American encampment positioned along the border between the Rolling Plains and Southern High Plains of western Texas. Original interpretations for the site are re-examined using lithic tool and debitage analysis under the theoretical perspective of behavioral archaeology. Cultural and non-cultural processes are studied to determine their role in the creation, distribution, and disturbance of the site’s lithics and related features. Research orientation is focused on potential causes for the skewed ratio of unifacial to bifacial stone tools, thermal alterations present on some lithics, artifact distribution, and the correlation between lithics and features.
Behavioral chain analysis is utilized to identify lithic activity areas that reflect the life history stages of procurement, manufacture, use, maintenance, and discard. ArcGIS maps assist in displaying the distribution of the lithics and their related activity areas, which in turn reveals patterns of the site’s spatial organization. Lastly, aspects of trade and mobility are inferred based on the site’s position on the landscape, creating a larger representation of the daily lives of the inhabitants.