The Bolton spring site,Connecticut; Early holocene human occupation and environmental changes in southern New England |
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| Authors: | Robert M Thorson Kevin McBride |
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| Abstract: | The recent discovery and excavation of the Bolton Spring Site, located in the glaciated uplands of eastern Connecticut, presents an enigma to archaeologists and geologists interested in dating and interpreting prehistoric human habitation sites. A single discrete charcoal-bearing occupation level at the site was characterized by artifacts of the Middle Archaic Period (8000-6000 B.P.) and contained an abundance of small-mammal remains typical of the Holocene woodland fauna. Although the site seemed to present a clearcut opportunity for radiocarbon-dating, C13-corrected radiocarbon dates from the cultural horizon span nearly three thousand years. Our interpretation is that occupation occurred near the end of a depositional hiatus during which noncultural charcoal accumulated. Subsequent burial of the cultural layer by eolian sediments may have resulted from deflation of pre-existing eolian sediments in the Connecticut River Valley during drier, mid-Holocene conditions. Substantial rockfall activity and rubble movement on adjacent slopes may have been restricted to late Holocene time. |
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