Abstract
This study examines the idea that the introduction of the bow and arrow precipitated late prehistoric culture change in the Sierra Nevada foothills of Butte County, California. Based on Bettinger’s (2015) Orderly Anarchy Model, it is hypothesized that the hunting efficiency gained by the bow promoted a settlement and subsistence strategy that was conducive to plant resource intensification. Data for this thesis derive from archaeological investigations conducted during large infrastructure projects during the 1950s and 1960s, along with more recent work undertaken as part of the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission relicensing project of the Lake Oroville Facilities. Statistical methods and GIS spatial analyses were employed to identify subsistence and settlement patterns that relate to the use of the bow and arrow. The results were found to generally align with the predictions of the Orderly Anarchy Model, wherein the regional introduction of the bow and arrow appears to have preceded significant shifts in settlement patterns and acorn intensification.