Gatecliff Rockshelter
Encyclopedia
The Gatecliff Rockshelter is a prehistoric rock shelter
located in Nevada
, United States
, where people camped over a period of 7,000 years. It was discovered by David Hurst Thomas
in 1970. The excavation (in Monitor Valley) was "vertical"--in some places nearly 40 feet (12.2 m) deep, with cultural deposits stacked up within a floor area of 300 square feet (27.9 m²).
Thousands of cultural objects have been uncovered, including projectile points, grinding stones, sagebrush bark mats, and slate shards etched with cryptic geometric designs.
It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places
in 1979.
Rock shelter
A rock shelter is a shallow cave-like opening at the base of a bluff or cliff....
located in Nevada
Nevada
Nevada is a state in the western, mountain west, and southwestern regions of the United States. With an area of and a population of about 2.7 million, it is the 7th-largest and 35th-most populous state. Over two-thirds of Nevada's people live in the Las Vegas metropolitan area, which contains its...
, United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
, where people camped over a period of 7,000 years. It was discovered by David Hurst Thomas
David Hurst Thomas
David Hurst Thomas is the Curator in the Department of Anthropology at the American Museum of Natural History and an Adjunct Professor at Columbia University and the City University of New York....
in 1970. The excavation (in Monitor Valley) was "vertical"--in some places nearly 40 feet (12.2 m) deep, with cultural deposits stacked up within a floor area of 300 square feet (27.9 m²).
Thousands of cultural objects have been uncovered, including projectile points, grinding stones, sagebrush bark mats, and slate shards etched with cryptic geometric designs.
It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places
National Register of Historic Places
The National Register of Historic Places is the United States government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures, and objects deemed worthy of preservation...
in 1979.