Book Description

Falcon Hill, Washoe County, Nevada, contains 10 caves and shelters intermittently utilized by humans from about 9500 BP. The Falcon Hill sites served as cache, ceremonial, and habitation sites for groups living on or nearby the hill. Basketry, wood, bone, and shell artifacts were preserved by the dry climate. Radiocarbon dates on basketry range from 9540 to 390 BP and provide a framework for a western Great Basin basketry chronology. Projectile points include several Great Basin types, but for the most part, they are poorly dated. Radiocarbon dates from 3900 to 3620 BP were obtained from artifacts found in Kramer Cave, the richest of the sites. Kramer Cave contained a distinctive Great Basin artifact assemblage including: Little Lake series projectile points, double warp twined basketry, spiral-grooved dart foreshafts, and juniper seed beads. Stylistic treatment of other artifacts reveals cultural ties with the Early Bay, Windmiller, or Cosumnes cultures of northern and central California as well as with other Great Basin cultures.--Adapted from abstract.