The Hegar cache (41HR1030)

Abstract

A lithic cache is described as a cluster of several items that can be worked into a variety of tools or a collection of tools typical of a particular task. The behavior associated with caching includes subsistence, survival, trade, or ceremonial/ritual needs of the individual or group. Caches are typically found either in association with larger archaeological sites and can be interpreted in context with the other features and artifacts or they are found isolated from any known archaeological sites. Isolated caches, therefore, represent a unique set of conditions that require careful examination of the excavation data to understand the site formation processes and careful examination of the artifacts to attempt to place the cache in a temporal and spatial context and understand the behavior associated with placing the cache in that location. The discovery of 26 Angostura-like bifaces in northwest Harris County, Texas provides a unique opportunity to examine isolated caching behavior in a portion of Texas with few documented cache sites. Excavation of the site and analysis of the bifaces suggest the cached material is the result of trade and may be associated with ceremonial or ritualistic practices along the gulf coast.