Lithic and debitage analysis of Early Caddo site at Boxed Springs (41UR30) in East Texas

Abstract

The Boxed Springs site in East Texas contains a large number of lithics from the Early Caddo period (800-1200 CE) to the late Caddo period (1400-1700 CE). The origin of the raw materials and lithic debitage often remains unknown as well as the usage of the objects. The analysis of lithic materials will aid in the explanation and reconstruction of early Caddo inhabitants to the area, paying attention to lithic patterns, evolution, migration, and settlement patterns. By using the lithic materials recovered from the Boxed Springs site, currently located at the WSU campus, this study will look at the type of raw materials used, comparing and contrasting them, studying the debitage materials while attempting to decipher how these materials were used by the Caddoan. The analysis will be done using a large scale for weight, inventory reports, previously collected raw materials from the City Archaeology Office at WSU and site data information recovered from excavations. Understanding what type of raw material the objects are made of and where the material originates will give us a better idea of how certain raw materials traveled between regions. The present study will aid researchers in tracing lithic debitage usage at the Boxed Springs site across four separate states consisting of known Caddo sites including Texas, Louisiana, Oklahoma, and Arkansas.