Abstract:Recent literature on Paleoarchaic and Early Archaic strategies in the arid west of North America has characterized the shift from the earlier to later period as constituting an adaptive discontinuity. The empirical bases for this conclusion are shifts in mobility, subsistence, and technology. Paleoarchaic peoples are described as highly mobile, focused on a diversity of animal resources, including birds and small game, and using more exotic toolstone, an aspect of mobility. In contrast, Early Archaic strategie… Show more
“…4). This layer is described as an extensive living surface with at least 10 roasting pits in addition to 20 ground stone tools (14) (Fig. S5).…”
Section: Resultsmentioning
confidence: 99%
“…2). Excavations of NCS occurred between 2004 and 2008, uncovering numerous hearths and pits and abundant stone tools, faunal assemblages, and botanical remains (14). The excavations revealed seven cultural strata, dating from 11,500 to 150 cal B.P.…”
mentioning
confidence: 99%
“…The excavations revealed seven cultural strata, dating from 11,500 to 150 cal B.P. Thirty-five radiocarbon dates were obtained on various materials (bone/collagen, dentin, wood/charcoal, fruits/seeds; Table S1), allowing strata to be further subdivided into 68 substrata, some interpreted as short-term living/use surfaces (14) (Fig. S1 and Table S1).…”
mentioning
confidence: 99%
“…(14). The majority had been manufactured from sandstone (88%) and most (85%) were fragmented (Table S2).…”
The prehistory of wild potato use, leading to its domestication and diversification, has been well-documented in, and confined to, South America. At least 20 tuber-bearing, wild species of Solanum are known from North and Central America, yet their importance in ancient diets has never been assessed from the archaeological record. Here, we report the earliest evidence of wild potato use in North America at 10,900–10,100 calendar years (cal) B.P. in the form of well-preserved starch granules extracted from ground stone tools at North Creek Shelter, southern Utah. These granules have been identified as those of Solanum jamesii Torr. (Four Corners potato), a tuber-bearing species native to the American Southwest. Identification was based on applying five strictly defined diagnostic characteristics (eccentric hilum, longitudinal fissure, lack of fissure branching, fissure ratio, and maximum granule size) to each of 323 archaeological granules. Of those, nine were definitively assigned to S. jamesii based on possession of all characteristics, and another 61 were either likely or possibly S. jamesii depending on the number of characteristics they possessed. The oldest granules were found in substratum 4k (10,900–10,100 cal B.P.). Younger deposits, dating to ∼6,900 cal B.P., also contained tools with S. jamesii granules, indicating at least 4,000 y of intermittent use. Ethnographic and historical accounts extend the period of use to more than 10,000 y. The question then arises as to whether some S. jamesii populations could have undergone transport, cultivation, and eventual domestication over such a long period of time.
“…4). This layer is described as an extensive living surface with at least 10 roasting pits in addition to 20 ground stone tools (14) (Fig. S5).…”
Section: Resultsmentioning
confidence: 99%
“…2). Excavations of NCS occurred between 2004 and 2008, uncovering numerous hearths and pits and abundant stone tools, faunal assemblages, and botanical remains (14). The excavations revealed seven cultural strata, dating from 11,500 to 150 cal B.P.…”
mentioning
confidence: 99%
“…The excavations revealed seven cultural strata, dating from 11,500 to 150 cal B.P. Thirty-five radiocarbon dates were obtained on various materials (bone/collagen, dentin, wood/charcoal, fruits/seeds; Table S1), allowing strata to be further subdivided into 68 substrata, some interpreted as short-term living/use surfaces (14) (Fig. S1 and Table S1).…”
mentioning
confidence: 99%
“…(14). The majority had been manufactured from sandstone (88%) and most (85%) were fragmented (Table S2).…”
The prehistory of wild potato use, leading to its domestication and diversification, has been well-documented in, and confined to, South America. At least 20 tuber-bearing, wild species of Solanum are known from North and Central America, yet their importance in ancient diets has never been assessed from the archaeological record. Here, we report the earliest evidence of wild potato use in North America at 10,900–10,100 calendar years (cal) B.P. in the form of well-preserved starch granules extracted from ground stone tools at North Creek Shelter, southern Utah. These granules have been identified as those of Solanum jamesii Torr. (Four Corners potato), a tuber-bearing species native to the American Southwest. Identification was based on applying five strictly defined diagnostic characteristics (eccentric hilum, longitudinal fissure, lack of fissure branching, fissure ratio, and maximum granule size) to each of 323 archaeological granules. Of those, nine were definitively assigned to S. jamesii based on possession of all characteristics, and another 61 were either likely or possibly S. jamesii depending on the number of characteristics they possessed. The oldest granules were found in substratum 4k (10,900–10,100 cal B.P.). Younger deposits, dating to ∼6,900 cal B.P., also contained tools with S. jamesii granules, indicating at least 4,000 y of intermittent use. Ethnographic and historical accounts extend the period of use to more than 10,000 y. The question then arises as to whether some S. jamesii populations could have undergone transport, cultivation, and eventual domestication over such a long period of time.
“…These interwoven communities in and around NCS are referred to as a “cool desert mosaic” (Table 1). At higher elevations (>2500 m asl), ponderosa pine ( Pinus ponderosa ) and Picea–Abies forests cover large portions of the Dixie National Forest (see Janetski et al, 2012; Louderback, 2014). Figure 1.(color online) Location of North Creek Shelter in Escalante, southern Utah (inset North America).…”
Pollen, plant macrofossils, and sedimentary analyses from archaeological deposits at North Creek Shelter (NCS) on the Colorado Plateau provide data on vegetation and climate change during the Holocene. From 11,300–10,200 cal yr BP, NCS was embedded in a mixed conifer forest of cool-adapted species (e.g., Abies, Pseudotsuga menziesii, and Pinus ponderosa) with an Artemisia understory. During this interval, NCS pollen corresponds to modern pollen from Picea–Abies forests that reside 950 m higher in elevation. Rapid deposition rates of NCS sediments indicate that climatic conditions during the Early Holocene were more mesic than today, with increased precipitation. The onset of warmer conditions at NCS began at 10,200 cal yr BP, and pollen and plant macrofossils indicate that a semiarid woodland and scrub mosaic dominated by Pinus edulis, Juniperus osteosperma, and Amaranthaceae surrounded NCS by 9300 cal yr BP. This is corroborated by fossil pollen that is similar to modern pollen from P. edulis–J. osteosperma woodlands and Amaranthaceae scrub that currently surround NCS. Sedimentary analyses suggest that during this time, accumulation rates were very low due to low precipitation and a drier climate overall. Migration of P. edulis into southern Utah is directly dated to 8100 cal yr BP, thus confirming recently proposed patterns of northward expansion.
PremiseThe domestication of wild plant species can begin with gathering and transport of propagules by Indigenous peoples. The effect on genomic composition, especially in clonal, self‐incompatible perennials would be instantaneous and drastic with respect to new, anthropogenic populations subsequently established. Reductions in genetic diversity and mating capability would be symptomatic and the presence of unique alleles and genetic sequences would reveal the origins and ancestry of populations associated with archaeological sites. The current distribution of the Four Corners potato, Solanum jamesii Torr. in the Southwestern USA, may thus reflect the early stages of a domestication process that began with tuber transport.MethodsHerein genetic sequencing (GBS) data are used to further examine the hypothesis of domestication in this culturally significant species by sampling 25 archaeological and non‐archaeological populations.ResultsArchaeological populations from Utah, Colorado and northern Arizona have lower levels of polymorphic loci, unique alleles, and heterozygosity than non‐archaeological populations from the Mogollon region of central Arizona and New Mexico. Principle components analysis, Fst values, and structure analysis revealed that genetic relationships among archaeological populations did not correspond to geographic proximity. Populations in Escalante, Utah were related to those on the Mogollon Rim (400 km south) and had multiple origins and significant disjunctions with those populations in Bears Ears, Chaco Canyon, and Mesa Verde sites.ConclusionsMovement of tubers from the Mogollon region may have occurred many times and in multiple directions during the past, resulting in the complex genetic patterns seen in populations from across the Four Corners region.
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