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Luminescence Dating of Stone Structures in the Northeastern United States

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  06 February 2025

James K. Feathers Open the ORCID record for James K. Feathers [Opens in a new window]  and
Shannon A. Mahan
James K. Feathers*
Affiliation:
Department of Anthropology, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, USA;
Shannon A. Mahan
Affiliation:
United States Geological Survey, Denver Federal Center, Denver, CO, USA
*
Corresponding author: James K. Feathers; Email: [email protected]
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Abstract

There is no consensus on who built the numerous stone structures that dot the archaeological landscape in the northeastern United States. Professional archaeologists traditionally have attributed them to colonial farmers, but increasing numbers of archaeologists have joined many nonprofessional groups and Native Americans in arguing for Indigenous origins. Better understanding of these structures can be obtained by determining how old they are. This article reviews nearly 60 luminescence ages, on both sediments and rocks, that have been obtained in recent years. Many of the derived ages fall in the sixteenth century, between initial European contact and substantial colonial settlement. A few ages are significantly older, suggesting that this technology has a deeper origin. The results warrant more research into these structures and rethinking their significance.

Resumen

Resumen

No hay consenso sobre quién construyó las numerosas estructuras de piedra que salpican el paisaje arqueológico en el noreste de los Estados Unidos. Los arqueólogos profesionales tradicionalmente los han atribuido a los agricultores coloniales, pero un número cada vez mayor de arqueólogos se han unido a muchos grupos no profesionales y a los nativos americanos para argumentar a favor de los orígenes nativos americanos. Se puede obtener una mejor comprensión de estas estructuras determinando su antigüedad. En este trabajo se revisan cerca de 60 fechas de luminiscencia, tanto en sedimentos como en rocas, que se han obtenido en los últimos años. Muchas de las fechas derivadas caen en el siglo XVI, entre el contacto inicial europeo y el asentamiento colonial sustancial. Algunas fechas son significativamente más antiguas, lo que sugiere que esta tecnología tiene un origen más profundo. Los resultados justifican una mayor investigación sobre estas estructuras y un replanteamiento de su significado.

Keywords

northeastern United Statesstone structuresluminescencesediment datingrock datingnoreste de Estados Unidosestructuras de piedraluminiscenciadatación de sedimentosdatación de rocas
Type
Article
Information
American Antiquity , First View , pp. 1 - 17
Copyright
Copyright © The Author(s), 2025. Published by Cambridge University Press on behalf of Society for American Archaeology

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