Geochronological aspects of terminal Late Fort Ancient sites in the Little Miami-Ohio Rivers confluence area and their archeological significance

A geochronological approach is used to examine the temporal and spatial parameters of terminal Late Fort Ancient (∼1450 –1750 CE) habitation sites in the Little Miami-Ohio Rivers confluence area. We use a Bayesian analysis of radiocarbon dates, microtephrochronology, a biostratigraphic indicator ( Bison bison), and ethnohistorical records to examine terminal Late Fort Ancient sites in this region. Circular, stockaded villages (≤ 5 ha), consisting of single-family dwellings were replaced with large linear villages (≤ 8 ha), consisting of multifamily longhouses constructed parallel to the Little Miami and Ohio rivers. Smaller contemporary habitations and a plethora of underground maize silos suggest a seasonal pattern of population fission and fusion. At the time of Hernando de Soto's military conquests, ∼350 km to the south, terminal Late Fort Ancient villages in this region were increasing in number and size.

The Visibility of Sound: Acoustic Archaeology in the Blue Ridge Mountains

Waterfalls are documented among Indigenous peoples as settings for the intergenerational transfer of knowledge and locations sacred to life transitions. Eastern Woodlands ethnographic literature identifies waterfalls as places where life emerges in the presence of danger, requiring the acknowledgement of those who travel near them. In the Virginia Blue Ridge Mountains, ceramic-bearing Middle and Late Woodland sites near named waterfalls are associated with small sites located outside the topographic parameters of modeled site locations and containing non-local or unique objects. Sound mapping with calibrated decibel meters, survey-grade GPS, and inverse distance weighted interpolation demonstrate a correspondence between the location of the small sites and natural sound magnification. The small sites and the deposited objects may represent the offerings of travelers made aware of the sacred/dangerous place by the sound of the waterfall. Acoustic archaeology is introduced as a practice that takes into consideration sensory experience as central to place identity.

Overview: Lithic quarries in Pennsylvania: the archaeology of tool stone procurement

This collection of papers, published in numbers 3 and 4 of this volume of North American Archaeologist, reflects recent research into the development of pre-contact period quarries in Pennsylvania and the surrounding Middle Atlantic region.

Geochemical analysis of colonoware and brick artifacts from Brook Green Plantation using portable X-ray fluorescence spectrometry

This study used data collected using a portable X-ray fluorescence spectrometer to examine ceramic artifacts found during the excavation of historic Brook Green Plantation, in Georgetown County, South Carolina. Excavations at this site yielded culturally significant artifacts associated with African and African American people held in bondage during the 19th century. The geochemical composition of Colonoware and brick artifacts was compared to clay samples that were taken from six locations on the grounds of Brookgreen Gardens. Some Colonoware sherds were found to be consistent with a clay source close to the excavation site. This research is part of a larger goal to demonstrate the applicability of portable X-ray fluorescence spectrometry in the analysis and interpretation of archaeological ceramics.

Effigy mounds and rock art of midcontinental North America: Shared iconography, shared stories

The effigy mounds of the Upper Midwest and the Ohio Valley long have been regarded as distinct and independent cultural developments. A review of effigy mound iconography in both regions reveals similarities suggesting that they are elements of a shared cultural tradition. Comparisons with rock art imagery from the Upper Midwest and Missouri, the inferred centers of this artistic and ceremonial florescence, reveal co-occurrences of specific motifs and provide additional evidence of cultural connections among the Late Woodland to early Late Precontact societies inhabiting the lower Missouri, Mississippi, and Ohio river valleys. Oral traditions of Native American groups with documented connections to these regions allow this rich corpus of imagery to be understood as key episodes in their genesis stories.

Sourcing the source: Bald eagle jasper quarries and the houserville habitation complex

The construction of a road extension of Park Avenue through the Pennsylvania State University’s agricultural fields offered an opportunity to reinvestigate, in more detail, the Tudek jasper quarry site (36CE238). The original investigation was led by Dr. James Hatch and graduate students from the University’s Department of Anthropology. Initial studies yielded in excess of 27,000 artifacts that were used in this analysis. Our reinvestigation resulted in the construction of a detailed outline of the quarry site and the pattern of usage of the materials from the site. Additionally, radiocarbon dating indicated that the site was intensively utilized for a long period of time (3500 BC to 1500 AD) and confirmed that, like many quarry sites, the activities included primary materials collection and testing, reduction of the lithic materials for transport to another location where the final finishing of tools took place. Moreover, the availability of raw material likely changed through time and across the quarry. Observed color changes in the jasper suggest some heat treatment on site, primarily during later time periods.