In lieu of an abstract, here is a brief excerpt of the content:

9 (2) scenarios for human colonization, and (3) Paleoindian settlement, subsistence, and technology for the Hudson Valley and vicinity. We also consider possible roles of the Hudson Valley and the Champlain lowlands in peopling of the Far Northeast. Our geographic focus on eastern New York includes the Mohawk-Hudson drainage basin, adjacent upland provinces, and, to a lesser extent, the Champlain Basin. To complement this study area, we also draw on data from adjoining regions. In particular, we consider the eastern New York data in relation to the broader glacial landscapes extending north and east, collectively referred to elsewhere as the New England–Maritimes (Bradley et al. 2008; Lothrop et al. 2011; Spiess et al. 1998) but referenced in this volume as the Far Northeast. As we discuss below, most site-based evidence for Paleoindian occupation in eastern New York consists of early fluted point occupations, by default defining our primary focus. Our chronological framework relies on Bradley et al. (2008), distinguishing Early Paleoindian, Middle Paleoindian , and Late Paleoindian over the time span of circa 12,900–10,000 cal BP. Unless otherwise noted, all age and date references are based on calibrated radiocarbon dates and calendar years before present (Fiedel 1999). M uch of our current perspective on late Pleistocene adaptations in New York stems directly from work by former state archaeologist William A. Ritchie and his successor, Robert E. Funk. For five decades, their investigations defined the research framework for late Pleistocene occupations of eastern New York. In so doing, their research influenced interpretations of Paleoindian lifeways in glaciated regions that extend beyond New York, including the eastern Great Lakes, New England, and the Canadian Maritimes. In recent years, new information has come to light on the environmental setting and landscape evolution of late Pleistocene New York, providing a better basis for understanding the physical contexts for postglacial human colonization after circa 13,000 cal BP. As well, new insights (and persistent questions) on systematics and chronology cast a different light on published data for Paleoindian sites and point finds in New York (Bradley et al. 2008; Lothrop et al. 2011). Coupled with recent discoveries and analyses, this allows us to reconsider what we think we know about how the late Pleistocene peoples colonized, and then adapted to, the dynamic deglacial landscapes of eastern New York. In this review we discuss (1) late Pleistocene landscapes, Jonathan C. Lothrop and James W. Bradley chapter ii Paleoindian Occupations in the Hudson Valley, New York 10 Lothrop and Bradley southeast, Long Island marks the Terminal Moraine and lies within the Atlantic Coastal Lowlands province. The Hudson River is the master stream for eastern New York. Draining 36,000 km , the Hudson runs south from its source on Mount Marcy in the Adirondacks for 507 km to its mouth in New York Bay. The east-flowing Mohawk and Wallkill river tributaries provided entry for humans into the Hudson Valley from points west; the west-flowing Hoosic and Battenkill rivers led eastward (upstream) from the Hudson Valley into the rest of the Far Northeast. Deglacial Chronology and Events As the Pleistocene drew to a close, the face of eastern New York was dramatically reshaped by glacial retreat, sea level rise, isostatic rebound, massive drainage diversions, and the formation and draining of proglacial and inland marine water bodies (Bloom 2008; Cronin et al. 2008; Donnelly et al. 2005; Rayburn et al. 2005; Richard and Occhietti 2005; Ridge 2003; Stanford 2009; Teller 2004). Current chronologies suggest that many of these events transpired only centuries before Paleoindian colonization. In New York, the Late Wisconsin advance of the Laurentide ice sheet reached its southern terminus circa 28,000–24,000 cal BP, creating the massive terminal moraine of Long Island. Ice margin retreat from this position began about 24,000 cal BP (Ridge 2003; Stanford 2009), a process that was periodically interrupted by glacial LATE PLEISTOCENE LANDSCAPES IN EASTERN NEW YORK Physiography, Geology, Drainage Figure 2.1 illustrates physiographic regions of New York (Cadwell et al. 2003). Areas of higher elevation in eastern sectors of the state include the Appalachian Plateau, Adirondack Highlands, and Taconic Mountains, all underlain by rock units more resistant to erosion. Known regionally as the Southern Tier of New York, the Appalachian Plateau is made up of Devonian limestones, shales, sandstones , and conglomerate. The Onondaga Escarpment and its chert-bearing limestones extend west-to-east across the midsection of the state. Highly metamorphosed rocks of the Middle Proterozoic—gneisses...

Share