Abstract
This thesis offers just a glimpse into settlement patterns in the Truckee Meadows area. In an attempt to gain insight into prehistoric human adaptation, this thesis focuses on two major issues. The first is a study of Truckee Meadows obsidian hydration involving: (1) an attempt to generate radiocarbon-hydration pairs for Sutro Springs and Bodie Hills obsidian from discrete feature contexts; and (2) assessment of existing hydration rates for Sutro Springs and Bodie Hills obsidian. The second focus was an assessment of Delacorte’s (1997a) regional settlement model, which implies that the Truckee Meadows was part of more extended settlement systems earlier in time and a localized system later in time. The development of radiocarbon-hydration pairs was hampered by the limited size of obsidian samples. The assessment of existing hydration rates worked reasonably well on projectile points, suggesting that obsidian hydration is, indeed, a reliable technique for estimating artifact age in the Truckee Meadows. Finally, analysis of Delacorte’s (1997a) model that mobility generally decreased through time appears to be more complex, with distinct patterns occurring north and south of the Truckee River.