Title
Gahagan Biface Morphology in the Southern Caddo Area
Document Type
Editorial
Publication Date
2019
Abstract
This investigation follows a recent morphological study of the three largest samples of Gahagan bifaces, where a significant difference in biface shape was found to occur between Gahagan bifaces from the Mounds Plantation site (16CD12) and those recovered at the Gahagan Mound (16RR1) and George C. Davis sites (41CE19). This endeavor seeks to further characterize local morphological variation using 64 intact or reconstructed Gahagan bifaces from contexts where two or more specimens were recovered at the Gahagan Mound, George C. Davis, and Mounds Plantation sites. Gahagan bifaces are currently thought to be products of trade between east Texas Caddo groups and central Texas hunter-gatherers. The bifaces were scanned and analyzed using the tools of geometric morphometrics to identify whether Gahagan biface morphology differs between and among Caddo features. The results of this study provide a preview of the dynamic morphological relationships associated with Gahagan bifaces recovered from Caddo archaeological features. A preliminary sequence of geographic shape change is postulated for Gahagan bifaces that potentially indicates modifications employed by Caddo knappers, and not those of the hunter-gatherer groups thought to have manufactured them.
Repository Citation
Selden, Robert Z. , Jr., Ph.D., R.P.A., "Gahagan Biface Morphology in the Southern Caddo Area" (2019). CRHR: Archaeology. 289.
https://scholarworks.sfasu.edu/crhr/289
