Site Location Modeling and Prehistoric Rock Shelter Selection on the Upper Cumberland Plateau of Tennessee

Using data collected from 2 archaeological surveys of the Upper Cumberland Plateau (UCP), Pogue Creek Gorge and East Obey, a site location model was developed for prehistoric rock shelter occupation in the region. Further, the UCP model was used to explore factors related to differential site selection of rock shelters. Different from traditional approaches such as those that use (aspatial) logistic regression, the UCP model was developed using spatial logistic regression. However, models were also generated using other regression-based approaches in an effort to demonstrate the need for a spatial approach to archaeological site location modeling. Based on the UCP model, proximity to the vegetation zones of Southern Red Oak and Hickory were the most influential factors in prehistoric site selection of rock shelters on the UCP

An Integrated Approach: Lithic Analyses and Site Function, Eagle Drink Bluff Shelter, Upper Cumberland Plateau, Tennessee

After four excavation seasons at Eagle Drink Bluff Shelter, a small sandstone rockshelter in the highlands of the Upper Cumberland Plateau (UCP) of Tennessee, components ranging from the Middle Archaic through the Late Woodland have been identified. Here we present the results of technological and use-wear analyses of the Late Archaic lithic assemblage, which contained more than 180 finished and reworked stone tools. In general, rockshelters have been viewed as special-purpose sites, though this interpretation has largely been applied to rockshelters in lowland regions where they are comparatively rare (e.g., Hall and Klippel 1988). The technological and functional analyses of the flaking debris and tools at Eagle Drink support the interpretation of a base camp or residential location. While each of the methods employed in this study alone contributes to the site interpretation, confidence in the interpretation lies in their integration. We further believe that if lithic analysts working in the Southeast wish to fully address site function and identify specific activities in the archaeological record, then they should routinely employ use-wear studies