Dimond Knoll: Redefining Southeast Texas Prehistory

Artifacts of exotic origin, or that reference extra-regional traditions, have been recorded periodically in archeological deposits across southeast Texas. New data suggests that artifacts of this type are present far more regularly than they are identified and that long-held assumptions and biases have contributed to this under-reporting. Stone tools from the sites of Dimond Knoll and Smithers Lake, located in Harris and Fort Bend counties, respectively, provide clear evidence of long-distance movement of people and ideas in prehistory.
Remarkably, both the Dimond Knoll and Smithers Lake sites show evidence of having been repeatedly revisited over a period of more than 11,000 years. Included among the 1,330 projectile points recorded within their combined assemblages are artifact types commonly associated with the Ohio and Mississippi river valleys. The prominence of exotic types at both sites peaks during the Poverty Point period. Archeologists have questioned the derivation and greater meaning of such exotic artifacts for decades. Could the distribution of native overland trade corridors in prehistory shed new light on this phenomenon?
In this presentation, Dr. Jason W. Barrett proposes a reconstructed network of indigenous footpaths and trade trails, relying on data collected from journals, diaries, and other records of the 17th- and 18th-century Spanish entradas, as well as from 19th-century maps. The location of Dimond Knoll and other long-duration sites in southeast Texas is shown to have strategic, logistical relevance when considered with respect to the probable location of prehistoric trade corridors. This new research indicates that native long-distance trade trails had extraordinary time depth, integrated with riverine trade networks, and spread across vast geographic areas.
Learn more about the topic at:
Houston Archeological Society (txhas.org)
This video is part of the Texas Historical Commission's Texas Archeology Month 2020 Virtual Symposium. View other presentations in the series on playlists organized by region on our KZbin channel.