QUATERNARY RESEARCH 30, 234-236 (1988)

BOOK REVIEWS

The Homer Site: The Type Site of the Cody Cultural Complex. Edited by George C. Frison and Lawrence C. Todd. Academic Press, Inc., Orlando, FL, 1987, 586 pp., $90.00.

This volume represents another in a series of Pa- leoindian site reports from sites on the northern Great Plains excavated by George Frison, but the volume is more than a site report in that it attempts to bring order into the confusion surrounding the Cody Culture Com- plex and to examine both the validity and significance of that complex. The Homer Site originally was inves- tigated in 194s1952 by Glen Jepson and reopened by Frison in 1977-1978. This volume includes detailed analyses of materials from the earlier excavations as well as results from the more recent investigations. It consists of 11 chapters and 9 appendices involving 15 different authors. The basic interpretation is that two major early Holocene cultural horizons record several events, including a large-scale bison kill (older hori- zon; Homer II) and short-term occupation activities (younger horizon; Homer I), all located on the Cody Terrace. The two horizons are separated chronologi- cally by about 1000 yr, spatially by ca. 27 m, and ver- tically by ca. 2 m of deposit.

Chapters l-4 provide background information on the site and for the major research investigations con- ducted. Chapter 1 (introduction) gives a perspective on Paleoindian research on the northern Plains and the role played by the Homer Site. Chapter 2 (history of Princeton-Smithsonian investigations) is an historical account of how various personalities and institutions become involved in the joint efforts and misunder- standings that led to the dissolution of one research team and formation of another team. This chapter pro- vides a case study of the early politics surrounding Paleoindian research in this country, and is reminis- cent of similar problems suffered at Blackwater Draw Locality No. 1.

Chapter 3 (Princeton-Smithsonian excavation) at- tempts to assess the integrity of both the current col- lection and the site assemblage of Homer I. Prove- nience records were available for about 5% of the 1949 excavations although original documentation was more extensive. This chapter underscores the frustra- tions of working with old collections yet the immense importance of pursuing such work, because of the po- tential wealth of data in clarification and application to modem research problems. The integrity of the assem- blage is looked at in terms of number of agents in- volved in site formation and disturbances of the cul- tural pattern and resolution through number of events per agency and timing. Two areas are defined that ap-

pear to represent different activity locations that may or may not have been associated. The northern area is interpreted as a short-term occupation (perhaps adja- cent to a nearby kill area) based on the distribution pattern of bone, tools, and hearths. The southern area is a bison bone bed that may have been either a pri- mary kill or a processing area. Analysis of bison man- dibles indicate that activities in both areas took place in the late fall-early winter.

Chapter 4 (University of Wyoming investigations) details the reinvestigation of the Homer Site and the discovery of another bone bed (Homer II) in the vi- cinity but separate from the activities of Homer I. This new, older component provides an indication of the multiple use of the Cody Terrace landform. Homer I assemblage contains Eden and Scottsbluff point types (Cody complex) dated at 8500-8900 yr B.P. Homer II has a pure assemblage of what now is being called the Alberta/Cody point type that dates to ca. 10,000 yr B.P. The Homer II bone bed has well-defined bound- aries and contained the remains of 65-70 bison with a large number of skeletal units and six nearly complete carcasses. The bone bed is interpreted as a primary kill with meat stripping as the major activity.

Chapters 5-7 constitute the major portion of the data base and as such the thrust of the research. Chapter 5 (taphonomy of Homer II bone bed) presents a detailed taphonomic history of the older bone bed that is both intriguing for what is discovered and exciting for the various analytical techniques used. Most of the bones are not weathered, which could be due to either greater depth of deposit, more rapid burial, or a com- bination of the two (in contrast to Homer I bone that is moderately to highly weathered). However, a biased picture may be presented in this and other analyses because, overall, 52% of the bone was discarded in the field. The bone bed is determined to be intact with little element deletion (removal to elsewhere) and car- nivore disturbance was minimal. A particularly useful concept is that of articulation value which is an ele- ment-based value determined on the lowest minimum number of elements (MNE) to give the maximum num- ber of articulations. About half of the lower forelimb elements were found in articulation. This concept is important in developing an approach to the compari- son of bone beds because what is compared is the percentage of potential articulation values. Another useful comparative technique explored is that of using the degree of destruction to the proximal humerus as a guide to the intensity of carnivore activity. The distri- bution pattern of carnivore-modified bone vs lithics/ hearth/burned bone reveals carnivore-modified bone along the margins of the bone bed while the cultural

234 0033-5894188 $3.00 Copyright 0 1988 by the University of Washington. Al rights of reproduction in any form reserved.

BOOK REVIEWS 235

activity is concentrated nearer the central axis of the deposit. Anatomical reassembly was attempted to monitor dispersal (both cultural and natural) of indi- vidual carcasses across the occupation surface and to refine MN1 estimates. The technique involves bilateral matching of elements and refits of adjacent elements. One of the conclusions based on the various analyses is that the rear limbs of the bison were the focus of human activity. The patterns of limb dispersal consis- tantly are different from those documented for noncul- tural dispersal of modem carcasses.

Chapter 6 (projectile points) describes the typologi- cal study that included morphological, technological, and metric considerations. A concern is the relation- ship of the Homer I assemblage to that from Homer II. The Homer II assemblage technologically falls be- tween Alberta and Cody Complex points and the point design is being called Alberta/Cody until further clar- ification of chronological and spatial range. Homer I, on the other hand, is a mixed assemblage containing Cody Complex points (Eden and Scottbluff) and Al- berta/Cody points. Reworking of the points from both horizons is common but differences occur in the man- ner in which the points were reworked. A major con- clusion is that while two distinct projectile point as- semblages occur, they are related technologically and Alberta/Cody points presage the development of Cody Complex point styles.

Chapter 7 (lithic materials other than projectile points) takes a different tack because of the nonstyl- ized character of the rest of the tool assemblages. The majority are flakes with minimal modification prior to use except for preparation of an employable unit (EU; working edge or segment). A detailed use-wear anal- ysis of utilized flakes is oriented around EU’s and points to a wide variety of EU’s that indicates a vari- ety of tasks involved in the occupation of both hori- zons.

Chapters g-10 provide some of the natural history data for the site. Geologic work (chapter 8) was un- dertaken to clarify questions from the earlier Princeton-Smithsonian study, and to evaluate the hy- potheses of a local landscape quite different from to- day and the development of a wide, inner valley of the Shoshone River since Paleoindian times. Detailed data are presented to nullify both hypotheses and show that the immediate vicinity of the site has not changed ap- preciably in the last 10,000 yr. Stratigraphically, the Cody Terrace is composed of five units; Unit 1 (allu- vium and sand) is the last and dates from the early Holocene. Homer II occurs at the base of the unit while Homer I is at the top. The Homer II bone bed occurs in a swale that was subject to periodic ponding.

Chapter 9 (vertebrate fauna) presents the faunal data. The entire fauna from the site is termed the Homer local fauna but is separated into the Homer faunule (Homer I) and Sage Creek faunule (Homer II). The faunules basically are the same and indicate a lo- cal environment similar to that of today but with more

effective moisture that permitted extensive grasslands. One soil profile (Chapter 10) is described from the Homer II excavations. Five soils (four buried, one surface) overlie the bone beds and Cody Terrace. The lowest soil (soil 5) contains the Homer II bone bed in its C horizon and is of a type indicating inhibited soil drainage on flat typographies. Soil 5 is present only locally where ponding or poor soil drainage occurred.

Chapter 11 provides a summation of the results. Re- analysis of the Homer 1 materials indicates major dif- ferences between the northern and southern areas in- cluding differential recovery of Eden (northern), Scottsbluff (southern), and Alberta/Cody (southern) points. The Homer II bone bed represents a late fall to early winter, large-scale bison kill. Rapid burial after cultural activity allowed only slight postoccupational movement of the elements.

The appendices can be grouped into three parts. Three appendices are concerned with bison bone ma- terial. Four appendices focus on various lithic studies, two of which were undertaken as comparative analy- ses. The Homer I debitage (1173 flakes and flake frag- ments) analysis indicates that flintknapping was an ex- pedient production or modification of available tools for specific needs. The final appendices cover the Homer snails and phytoliths. The snails indicate moist wooded habitats while the phytoliths point to rela- tively dry conditions and low grass density for Homer I, and a mixed grass environment with short grass dominating at Homer II.

This volume is an extensive compilation that suffers from some aggravating, but not fatal, problems. It is more an assemblage of papers rather than an inte- grated volume. Each chapter appears to have been written with little interaction between the various au- thors with little apparent attempt to eliminate repeti- tiveness between chapters or to clarify relationships. For example, how the geology and soils relate to each other is not discussed and the studies appear to have been totally separate from one another. Only one soil profile is described and that chapter provides minimal data. In one place, the bone bed is claimed to be in the playa deposit, whereas in the geology chapter, it is clearly within a different unit below the playa deposit. Although Frison argues that the association of Alberta/ Cody and Scottsbluff points in the southern portion of Horner I probably is fortuitous, 22 Alberta/Cody points were recovered from that bone bed-a high number for accidental association. Why the 1949 bison bone bed (southern area) is considered unrelated to the northern area of Homer I (separated by 6-9 m) is not made clear. Although a major problem with the Homer I collection was that most bone was discarded, particularly from the 1949 work, bone still was being discarded during the 1978 excavation, albeit for differ- ent reasons. Little fine-mesh screening for microbio- logical and microcultural remains was accomplished because of logistical problems.

On the other hand, the volume presents exemplary

236 BOOK REVIEWS

studies in bone bed taphonomy and projectile point typology. Paleoindian point typology is greatly con- fused and frequently static because of the overempha- sis on morphology. Technology should provide a key means to clarification and simplification while permit- ting more dynamic models of interaction, evolution, and relationships. Despite some problems, this volume contains a wealth of information, thought-provoking analytical techniques, and intriguing interpretations.

EILEEN JOHNSON The Museum of

Texas Tech Universio Lubbock, Texas 79409

Radiocarbon Dating: An Archaeological Perspec- tive. By R. E. Taylor. Academic Press, San Diego, 1987, 212pp., $39.50.

This latest book on the radiocarbon dating method provides a clear description of the various techniques commonly used for radiocarbon dating without going into technical details. This is especially valuable for the relatively new (developed since 1977) and highly technical accelerator mass spectrometry (AM% The number of mathematical equations is likewise limited. This archaeological perspective makes the text easily accessible to users with little science background. The section on “conventions” and the “bibliography” are also useful in this respect. The archaeological perspec- tive is also evident in the sample types discussed and in the applications and examples given.

The discussion of sample provenance factors in Chapter 5 details the various levels of uncertainty in the relation between the dated sample material and the archaeological event to be dated. Such discussion is

frequently absent in more technically oriented ac- counts of radiocarbon dating, yet it is very important for a proper interpretation of radiocarbon dates. Sev- eral examples of significant differences in age between carbonaceous samples dated directly by AMS and ma- terials thought to be associated with the sample dem- onstrate both the value of the AMS technique for ra- diocarbon dating and the critical importance of sample provenance factors.

In my opinion, it is unfortunate that the discussion of the calibration procedures in this same chapter uses the older calibration data as compiled by Klein et al. instead of the high precision data exemplified by Fig- ure 2.9. The proposed arbitrary increase of quoted 14C age uncertainties to a minimum of -t-40 or ?80 yr is also not advisable. Insistence on a proper evaluation of the age uncertainty, resulting from factors other than counting statistics, by the dating laboratory would be more appropriate. It should also be noted that the typical submission weights for direct counting listed in Table 3.3 would result in a large excess of sample material. The typical sample size used in AMS is a few milligrams which is about 1000 times smaller than samples used in standard decay counting.

Despite these objections, the book is a valuable summary of the radiocarbon dating method and its in- herent limitations for the archaeologist-user of i4C dates.

PIETER M. GROOTES Isotope Laboratory

Quaternary Research Center University of Washington

Seattle, WA 98195