Rejuvenation Signature Analysis: Measuring Rejuvenation in Eastern Great Basin Archaic Dart Point Assemblages

This thesis explores rejuvenation of eastern Great Basin Archaic period atlatl dart points within the contexts of artifact curation, variability, use-life, and type. By analysis of past rejuvenation experiments, a contemporary rejuvenation experiment, and dart point assemblages from Archaic period strata of four major eastern Great Basin caves, a system that quantifies rejuvenation signatures on atlatl dart points was developed. This system is proposed as Rejuvenation Signature Analysis (RSA). It is advanced that RSA can quantify the extent and kinds of rejuvenation that occur in a population of atlatl projectile points. If levels of rejuvenation can be quantified in atlatl dart point populations, then conclusions can be advanced concerning curation and the integrity of morphologically derived types from within these populations. Using morphology alone to determine projectile point types as temporal markers should be reconsidered. Using RSA analysis in practical applications to quantify rejuvenation in other dart point assemblages from both inside and outside the eastern Great Basin is also discussed.