Paleoindian Caches

The purpose of this paper is to discuss the recent geochemical analysis of three bifaces from the Hogeye Clovis period cache recovered in Bastrop, Texas with the geochemistry of 302 geologic samples. These samples are derived from seven primary sources spread through the Edwards Plateau region and adjacent areas. The results of this analysis and comparison suggest that the three bifaces may be derived from chert resources geochemically similar to those found at the Gault Site in Central Texas. The results also hint that the Hogeye Cache may have served as either an insurance cache or a communal contribution from multiple groups living near the Gault Site and Buttermilk Creek.

In 2019 a collection amassed by the now deceased amateur archaeologist and collector Milan
Daněk (1958–2019) from Dolní Němčí was passed on to the Museum of Moravian Slovakia in
Uherské Hradiště. This collector focused his archaeological research not only on the area of Dolní
Němčí (Uherské Hradiště district), but also on several neighbouring villages where he amassed a large
collection of finds. One smaller assemblage consists of knapped Palaeolithic artefacts from Babí hora
(BH 3). Considering the character of the knapped artefacts, the state of preservation, and spatial
aspects, the assemblage can be interpreted as a deliberately placed deposit. It is noteworthy that even
after three decades of additional surveys, no associated debitage or manufacturing waste, which are
characteristic features of Palaeolithic sites, have been recovered. The collection in question consists
of seven patinated knapped artefacts, all of which (except one) were made on extremely large blanks.
These artefacts are technologically developed retouched tools which could have also served as cores for
manufacture of smaller bladelets. The raw material type of all of these artefacts is erratic flint which,
in the region of middle Pomoraví, represents an imported material of northern origin from the area
of glacio-fluvial sediments which stretches from present-day northern Moravia to southern Poland
(minimum distance from the site to the source area is 70 kilometres as the crow flies). Technologically
speaking, the collection consists of one core, four massive blades, one small blade and one flake.
Typologically speaking, implements identified include one unilaterally continuously retouched
pointed blade with a broken off proximal fragment (Fig. 3:7, 4:6), a dihedral burin on a massive blade
(Fig. 3:6, 4:7), a bilaterally retouched point on a thick blade (Fig. 3:3, 4:5), an atypical Kostenki knife on
a pointed bilaterally retouched flake (Fig. 3:5, 4:2), a combination of a blade endscraper and a simple
dihedral burin on a unilaterally retouched blade (Fig. 3:4, 4:3), a mostly exhausted core with a changed
orientation of exploitation (Fig. 3:2, 4:1) and a locally retouched bladelet (Fig. 3:1. 4:4). Based on
the technological-typological characteristics we classify this collection as Gravettian/Epigravettian.
A Gravettian affinity is suggested by its similarity to finds from Boršice-Chrástka. Epigravettian affinity
is suggested by the choice of location for this hoard - in a secluded side valley, which is characteristic
mainly for the Epigravettian (landscape type B2, Svoboda 1995). On the basis of analysis of the broader
find circumstances we consider the hoard of stone artefacts to be an example of a cache in a distinct
place in terrain close to a spring, but mainly outside the settlement, deposited as ‚insurance gear‘,
perhaps in case of an unexpected need. The exact place of the find is unknown and there is uncertainty
whether the entire hoard was recovered. For this reason, we expect that our conclusions my be amended or reassessed in the future.