Late Holocene Land Use in the Nutzotin Mountains: Lithic Scatters, Viewsheds, and Resource Distribution

Abstract

This paper explores the relationship of site location relative to the viewable topographic matrix of the distribution of caribou, moose, and Dall’s sheep and site function in the Nutzotin Mountains of south central Alaska. The archaeological record of the project area consists of late Holocene lithic scatters containing several projectile point types (Notched, Kavik-like, as well as points made of copper) representing the Northern Archaic and Northern Athabascan traditions. Spatial patterning of site location, viewsheds, and artifact distributions (points, bifaces, and scrapers) are noted, but only a few qualitative associations are found between viewsheds and site locations and viewsheds and artifact distributions.