Crow Canyon Lithic Analysis as a Tool to Reveal Sociopolitical Organization from A.D. 600 to 1280 in the Central Mesa Verde Region

This presentation intends to demonstrate how Crow Canyon Archaeological Center (CCAC) researchers have effectively developed their own lithic analysis since the operation of the organization. The majority of lithic assemblages recovered from CCAC’s excavations originated from agricultural villages dated from the Basketmaker III to Pueblo III periods. Unlike lithic studies in hunting and gathering societies, lithic assemblages, particularly debitage, derived from sedentary societies of the American Southwest have a reputation of “crude and clumsy” remains by archaeologists in general. To overcome the adverse connotation, CCAC researchers have focused on raw material identification and sourcing studies as a platform for their lithic analysis. By developing substantial lithological and sourcing data, CCAC researchers are able to tackle topics of a sociopolitical organization from A.D. 600 to 1280 using lithic data in conjunction with pottery, tree-ring, and faunal data.