Prehistoric Rockshelters of Pennsylvania: Revitalizing Behavioral Interpretation from Archaeological Spatial Data

Abstract

The size of archaeological data collection units and provenience controls affect data resolution, types of analyses, and the interpretations that archaeologists draw from the spatial patterning of material evidence. This research examines the use of fine-grained data collection units and the analyses that they support in the study of two Pennsylvania rockshelters to: 1) provide a better understanding of rockshelter use and the importance of rockshelters in Pennsylvania and Middle Atlantic region prehistory and, 2) reveal the impact that archaeological units can have on the reconstruction and interpretation of human behaviors in general. Insights from behavioral theory, ethnoarchaeology and previous archaeological research influenced the units and methods employed in the excavation of the Mykut and Camelback rockshelters. This analysis reveals the range of behaviors that can be reconstructed from these data, which can then be compared and contrasted with interpretations of other rockshelters and site contexts in the region.