Phthalocyanine-Oligothiophene Derivatives for Bulk Heterojunctions

This chapter focuses specifically on the Folsom and Midland component of the Gault site in central Texas. Although this component has been discussed briefly in prior publications (Collins 2007; Waters et al. 2011), it has not yet been reported in a comprehensive, systematic manner. This chapter focuses primarily on the diagnostic artifacts that can be attributed to Folsom-Midland technology (particularly points, preforms, and ultrathin bifaces), with additional artifacts only noted when they can confidently be assigned to the Folsom-Midland component.

This level of stratigraphic confidence is only immediately evident at Area 3, although several additional excavation areas may have intact but sparser components and are worth additional analysis in the future. The analysis of technological and typological issues pertaining to the Folsom-Midland artifacts at Gault sets the stage for the larger analyses that are conducted in the following chapters.

Overview of Folsom and Midland at the Gault Site

Gault is a stratified, multicomponent prehistoric site in central Texas located on an ecotone between the Edwards Plateau to the west and the Black Prairie to the east (Collins 2007:61-62). This setting enabled prehistoric groups to take advantage of the enhanced variety of resources that was available from two contrasting regions. Moreover, the site itself lies within an exposure of the Edwards Limestone Formation, a chert-bearing aquifer along the spring-fed Buttermilk Creek, providing a reliable source of toolstone and spring water to its inhabitants.

Thanks to these readily available resources, the Gault site provided a consistently livable habitat to people for over 13,000 years. The total site area covers approximately 32 hectares (Wernecke

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and Collins 2013), generally following the Buttermilk Creek valley and its tributary channels.

The Debra L. Friedkin site, reported by Waters et al. (2012), is located on a neighboring property about 250 meters to the east of the Gault site and may be an extension of the same site.

Gault is primarily known as a large Clovis workshop and campsite, with about 650,000 chipped stone artifacts recovered from the Clovis components (Collins 2007:59-61). An

extensive Archaic burned rock midden is also present and encompasses an area of about 800 by 200 m. In recent excavations, the site has yielded flakes, blades, and bifaces in discrete strata up to 80 cm below the Clovis component in Area 15, suggesting a human presence at the site prior to the Clovis period. The Folsom-Midland period is not as well represented as the Clovis and Archaic components, but Folsom and Midland diagnostic artifacts do occur at over half of the 15 excavation areas that have been opened to date. The reduced Folsom-Midland presence

compared to Clovis is likely due to different foraging strategies between the two complexes (Collins 2007:81). While the Clovis occupation at Gault represents a generalized foraging strategy involving the pursuit of a variety of food options, Folsom sites are largely focused on the hunting of bison. Because the Gault site is situated in a sheltered stream valley away from the open plains, Folsom groups would have traveled elsewhere to procure their preferred prey (Collins 1999:29). As such, the Folsom-Midland presence at Gault is more ephemeral than Clovis, and their utilization of the site appears to have been primarily that of a stopover for replacing worn out and broken stone tools before moving on to more bison-rich areas.

Diagnostic artifacts of the Folsom-Midland components at Gault include points,

preforms, channel flakes, and ultrathin bifaces (Figure 6 and Figure 7). Additional tools such as scrapers, gravers, and utilized flakes are also present but are often difficult to unambiguously attribute to the Folsom-Midland period due to contextual issues. The purpose of this chapter is

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threefold. First, it provides an overview of the context of the Folsom-Midland occupations at Gault, with specific attention given to clarifying the assumptions and overgeneralizations that have previously been applied to the relationship between the Clovis and Folsom-Midland occupations at the site (Waters et al. 2011:17). Second, this chapter explores the technology involved in the production of Folsom and Midland points at Gault, with emphasis on the variation in production techniques that are apparent. This assemblage offers a rare opportunity to examine Midland preforms, which are not often reported in other sites. The patterns of discard and manufacture for Folsom and Midland points are also examined. Third, this chapter places the Gault assemblage in the larger scheme of Folsom and Midland typology based on comparisons with artifacts from 28 other sites and collections across the geographic span of the Folsom complex. This analysis particularly focuses on specimens that represent “hybrids” of Folsom and Midland technology with consideration given to the regions in which they appear.

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Figure 6: Examples of Folsom and Midland points and preforms from the Gault site.

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Figure 7: Examples of ultrathin bifaces from the Gault site.

73 Context

Although the Gault site has been cited as one of the few sites in which Folsom age artifacts can be found immediately overlying Clovis artifacts (Bement and Carter 2010:919;

Jennings 2012:3240), the contextual integrity of the Folsom-Midland presence at Gault is

variable depending on the excavation area in question. A total of 15 areas has been excavated to date. Excavation Areas are numbered 1-15 and are defined as areas of the site with cohesive excavation histories and methods that encompass multiple unit addresses (Figure 8). Of these areas, eight of them contain Folsom and/or Midland diagnostic artifacts (Table 3). These areas are 2, 3, 4, 7, 8, 10, 12, and 15. However, only four of these areas (3, 7, 8, and 12) have yielded Folsom or Midland diagnostic artifacts in contexts that can be solely attributed to the Folsom period, and only three areas (3, 4, and 12) contain Folsom-Midland diagnostic material that consistently overlies Clovis. Each of the areas containing Folsom period diagnostic material is described individually below. Images of all the diagnostic Folsom-Midland artifacts are available in the “Photos” folder in the attached materials.

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Figure 8: Layout of the excavation areas within the Gault site.

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Table 3: Diagnostic Folsom-Midland artifact counts from Gault by excavation area.

Excavation