PALEOCLIMATE RECONSTRUCTION FOR THE TEMPLETON ARCHAEOLOGICAL SITE, WASHINGTON, CONNECTICUT

This study investigates Terminal Pleistocene and Holocene climate change in New England via geochemical analysis of archaeological sediments from the Templeton archaeological site in Washington, CT. Soil weathering indices of paleosols have been used as a proxy for precipitation in the study of climate fluctuation through deep time. Here we investigate the potential of this method in reconstructing climate during the last 12,000 years in New England. High resolution records are integral to understanding the environmental contexts in which past people lived and archaeological cultures developed since the earliest occupation of North America. The Templeton archaeological site provides a unique opportunity to investigate the dynamic relationship between climate and culture because the site contains cultural stratigraphy. The site is located on a floodplain of the Shepaug River, a tributary of the Housatonic River. Originally excavated in the late 1970s by Roger Moeller, the site was re-opened by Zachary Singer in 2016 to investigate intra-site organization of the prehistoric occupations. Excavations confirmed that the site’s earliest component dates to the Paleoindian period, around 12,000 years before present. In addition, Late Woodland, Terminal Archaic, Late Archaic, Middle Archaic, and Early Archaic archaeological periods are represented in the artifact assemblage, suggesting that Templeton was occupied by various peoples for the last 12,000 years. Therefore, this site presents a unique opportunity to investigate the role of climate variation throughout the cultural history of New England.