ABSTRACT
The oldest l4C dated archaeological site in Connecticut, the Templeton site (6LF21), contained Paleoindian artifacts and charcoal dating to 10,200 years ago. In the first publication describing the 1977 excavation of the site, Moeller (1980) reported finding Quercus spp. in the Erythrobalanus (red oak) subgenus and Cupressaceae (cedar family) charcoal. The presence of Quercus spp. implied a different environment than that previously accepted within the archaeological literature (Funk 1978; Snow 1980), of Paleoindians living in a tundra, glacial margin, or other very harsh environment. According to palynological studies frequently cited for the Late Pleistocene in Connecticut, the environment was an open spruce woodland (Leopold 1955; Davis 1969). Moeller suggested that the presence of Quercus spp. during the Late Paleoindian period necessitated a re-evaluation of prior paleoenvironmental interpretations (Moeller 1980: 8), but his suggestion went unnoticed in most archaeological circles. He also stressed the value of culturally associated charred botanical remains for documenting the environment.
