2021 Undergraduate Research Showcase
 

Document Type

Student Presentation

Presentation Date

4-23-2021

Faculty Sponsor

Mikael Fauvelle

Abstract

When we think about archaeology in the Great Basin, we usually don't think about art. If we do it is usually in the form of rock art, which there is plenty, but there is another type that commonly gets overlooked, portable art. There are basically three forms of these small creative objects in the Great Basin: ceramic figurines, incised stones, and small rocks that have had their shape altered into what is believed to mimic some type of anthropomorphic animal. I would propose that some of these items may have been mis-identified in the past and would like to put forth an alternative hypothesis, with related evidence for consideration. There are three figurines in particular that this poster will focus on. Two of these effigies are possibly grasshoppers, while a third may be a predaceous diving beetle. In addition, to these re-examinations this study will be adding to the increased dialog concerning insects in the subsistence diets of Native Americans in the Great Basin. The importance of these food resources are then transferred and reflected in these portable art artifacts from these archaeological sites, which provide additional evidence to their significance.

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