Abstract
Despite being flanked by the Great Basin and cismontane California, the Sierra Nevada has not played a prominent role in discussions of hunter-gatherer land use in either region. A key reason is the lack of archaeological data from pristine alpine areas, where little archaeological research has occurred. This study investigates high-elevation sites in the southern Sierra Nevada using temperature-adjusted obsidian hydration rates and comparisons to adjoining regions. Two distinct archaeological patterns are identified. The earlier (ca. 3,500 B.P.–1,350 B.P.) use pattern is characterized by dense lithic scatters related to obsidian procurement and logistical hunting forays, most likely by small groups of men. The later (ca. 1,350 B.P.—historic contact) intensive-use pattern is typified by a greater variety of artifact and feature types indicative of a wider range of activities performed by more diverse groups. These broad archaeological patterns are compared to regional cultural developments on either side of the Sierra to investigate how large-scale changes in mobility, subsistence-settlement patterns, and obsidian procurement in core lowland areas influenced prehistoric use of the southern Sierra Nevada alpine zone.