ZOOMORPHIC EFFIGY PENDANTS: AN EXAMINATION OF STYLE,MEDIUM, AND DISTRIBUTION IN THE CADDO AREA

Abstract

Caddo zoomorphic effigy pendants were crafted from a wide variety of raw material, such as freshwater mussel shell, Busycon perversum (whelk) marine shell, animal bone, and various types of soft stone. They have been documented at contemporaneous Late Caddo (A.D. 1400–1700) sites along the Red River in northeast Texas, southwest Arkansas, and northwest Louisiana; the Black Bayou, Big Cypress Bayou, and upper Sabine River basins in northeast Texas; the Ouachita River in south-central Arkansas; and the Arkansas River in central Arkansas and eastern Oklahoma. This paper describes the development of a comprehensive corpus that investigates stylistic groups, differential raw material or medium utilized, and the spatial distribution of zoomorphic effigy pendants throughout the Caddo area. Results reveal north-south heterogeneity, suggesting the presence of broader traditional cultural narratives associated with a complex idea that is manifest regionally in distinct stylistic forms and linked to Caddo beliefs concerning Beneath World themes. Additionally, this stylistic and spatial analysis offers an additional dataset to further explore social, political, and economic linkages among and between contemporary Caddo groups around A.D. 1500.     

ARCHAEOGEOPHYSICAL INVESTIGATIONS AT AN EIGHTEENTH-CENTURY CADDO SITE IN NACOGDOCHES COUNTY,EAST TEXAS

Abstract

The J. T. King site (41NA15) is an early-eighteenth-century Caddo habitation site in East Texas. Recent archaeogeophysical work (covering 2.5 ha) at the site has obtained unique data on the spatial organization of a Caddo settlement that was occupied at the time of the Spanish colonization of East Texas. Our interpretation of the magnetometer data is that there are 10 possible Caddo structures in the archaeogeophysical survey area. A few magnetic anomalies have been successfully ground truthed at the J. T. King site. These test excavations have demonstrated a positive correlation between magnetometer anomalies and the occurrence of Caddo architectural features.     

GEOPHYSICAL AND ARCHAEOLOGICAL INVESTIGATIONS AT THE CLEMENT SITE,A CADDO MOUND COMPLEX IN SOUTHEASTERN OKLAHOMA

Abstract

Since the 1960s, few professional archaeological excavations have been conducted at Caddo sites in southeastern Oklahoma. This article summarizes the initial phase of a research program designed to increase our knowledge of this area. Geophysical and archaeological investigations at the Clement site (34Mc8) were conducted during the summer of 2008 by the University of Oklahoma. These revealed deep middens, intact mound stratigraphy, and architecture, and suggest that Clement had multiple Caddo occupations spanning approximately 300 years.     

THE GROBIN DAVIS SITE: ARCHAEOGEOPHYSICS AND SETTLEMENT PATTERNS AT CADDO MOUND CENTERS IN SOUTHEASTERN OKLAHOMA

The Grobin Davis site (34MC253) is the best-preserved known prehistoric Caddo mound site in southeastern Oklahoma. The site, located along the Little River, consists of seven mounds arranged in a horseshoe configuration. Archaeological excavations at the site have been limited to a series of posthole tests and three 1-x-1-m units. Between November 2011 and February 2012, the Oklahoma Archeological Survey conducted geophysical survey of the bulk of the site, covering approximately 32,000 m² with a fluxgate gradiometer. This study provides important information about Caddo mound construction, settlement, and ceremonialism in southeastern Oklahoma and add to a growing body of literature on prehistoric Caddo community patterns.     

The Western River Steamboat Heroine, 1832–1838, Oklahoma,USA: excavations,summary of finds,and history

This paper describes the excavation, discoveries relating to the hull, machinery, and artefacts, and the history of an early steamboat wreck discovered in the Red River between Oklahoma and Texas. The wreck has been identified as the side‐wheel steamer Heroine, a vessel in service on the Mississippi, Ohio, and other western rivers of North America during the 1830s. It is the earliest example of this famous type of vessel yet studied.     

A quantitative assessment of intraspecific morphological variation in Gahagan bifaces from the southern Caddo area and central Texas

ABSTRACT

This investigation aggregates intact or reconstructed Gahagan bifaces from the southern Caddo area and central Texas to test the hypothesis that Gahagan biface morphology differs between the regions. The Gahagan bifaces (n=102) were scanned, then analyzed using a novel landmarking protocol and the tools of geometric morphometrics. Results provide a preview of the significant differences in Gahagan biface morphology expressed between the southern Caddo area and central Texas regions. The size discrepancy represents an inversion of current theoretical constructs that posit a decrease in tool size thought to articulate with an increase in distance from the raw material source. It is posited that the contrasting morphologies represent two discrete communities of practice; one (emergent Caddo horticulturalists) where Gahagan bifaces were enlisted primarily for burial and ritualistic activities, and the other (central Texas hunter-gatherers) where Gahagan bifaces were utilized over a longer time span in more practical and utilitarian contexts.     

Processes and patterns of flow,erosion, and deposition at shipwreck sites: a computational fluid dynamic simulation

Shipwreck sites are open systems, allowing the exchange of material and energy across system boundaries. Physical processes dominate site formation at fully submerged wreck sites, and in turn influence chemical and biological processes at many stages of site formation. Scouring presents a fundamental yet poorly understood threat to wreck sites, and the processes and patterns of erosion and deposition of sediments and artefacts at wreck sites are poorly understood. Laboratory and field-based experiments to study these phenomena are time-consuming and expensive. In this study, open-source computational fluid dynamic (CFD) simulations are used to model the processes and patterns of flow, erosion, and deposition at fully submerged wreck sites. Simulations successfully capture changes in the flow regime in the environment of the wreck as a function of incidence angle, including flow contraction, the generation of horseshoe vortices in front of the wreck, the formation of lee-wake vortices behind the structure, and increased turbulence and shear stress in the lee of the wreck site. CFD simulations demonstrate that horseshoe vortices control scour on the upstream face of structure but play a minimal role in scouring on the lee side. Lee-wake vortices dominate behind the structure, with low-pressure zones in the lee of the wreck capturing flow. The amplification and reduction of wall shear stress and turbulent kinetic energy in the lee of the vessel form distinctive patterns in relation to flow direction, with areas of amplified and reduced wall shear stress and turbulent kinetic energy demonstrating excellent spatial correlation with erosional and depositional patterns developed at real-world wreck sites.     

THE USE OF SHELL-TEMPERED POTTERY IN THE CADDO AREA OF THE SOUTHEASTERN UNITED STATES

Abstract

Freshwater mussel shell was used as a temper in the manufacture of ceramic vessels by potters in the Caddo area of the southeastern United States after ca. A.D. 1300. This was at least one or two centuries after it became the dominant temper used by aboriginal groups in much of the Eastern Woodlands but generally contemporaneous with shelltempered usage in parts of the Southern Plains. The introduction of shell temper was variable across the Caddo area, and in certain regions its use was negligible in ceramic vessel assemblages until the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries but then was rapidly adopted as the dominant temper employed in vessel manufacture, particularly for utility wares. In the traditional territory of the historic Hasinai Caddo in East Texas, shell temper did not appear in vessels until the early eighteenth century, and then only in minor amounts on presumed trade vessels.     

PAPERS ON GEOPHYSICAL INVESTIGATIONS OF WOODLAND AND CADDO SITES IN THE CADDO AREA OF THE SOUTHEASTERN UNITED STATES

Abstract

Geophysical investigations on archaeological sites in the Caddo area of the Southeastern United States have become in recent years a critical part of the investigation of prehistoric and early historic Caddo sites, from small farmsteads and hamlets to large mound centers. The various articles gathered here provide substantive examples of the range of geophysical research that has been undertaken on Woodland and Caddo sites in southwestern Arkansas, eastern Oklahoma, and East Texas, and how that research has led to a better understanding of the spatial structure and internal organization of habitation sites and mound centers.     

A Late‐18th‐Century Merchantman Wrecked in the South Edinburgh Channel,Thames Estuary,England

The South Edinburgh Channel wreck consists of the remains of a large, unidentified armed merchant ship whose cargo included a rare consignment of Swedish plate‐money, among other goods. The wreck was lost some time in the later part of the 18th century in the Thames Estuary and was uncovered briefly by natural means between 1972 and 1977. This allowed archaeological investigation, which was undertaken in very poor environmental conditions in the early days of maritime archaeology in the UK.     

Henry V's Grace Dieu and the wreck in the R. Hamble near Bursledon, Hampshire

This paper re-evaluates the documentary sources for Grace Dieu in the light of recent research, describes mid-19th to mid-20th century speculations and investigations about a wreck in the R. Hamble and presents evidence for the identification of the wreck as that of Grace Dieu .     

Mapping of the Buried Yarmouth Roads Wreck, Isle of Wight, UK, using a Chirp Sub-Bottom Profiler

Remains of the 16th-century Yarmouth Roads wreck, buried in sediments, were imaged using high-resolution geophysical techniques. The remains appear as strong reflectors underlain by an acoustic blanking zone, which was used to create maps of the wreck material. Close survey line-spacing allowed the construction of contour maps and hull sections, which revealed that the bow and stern sections are tilted to port at different angles, implying that they are detached. The seismic data have enhanced our understanding of the site beyond what was known from conventional archaeological investigations and confirms that this wreck was once a large carrack.
© 2007 The Authors     

RADIOCARBON TRENDS AND THE EAST TEXAS CADDO TRADITION (CA. A.D. 800–1680)

Abstract

Through the employment of radiocarbon (¹⁴C) dates as data, we use the date combination process to refine site-specific summed probability distributions for 555 dates from Caddo sites (n = 19) in East Texas with 10 or more ¹⁴C dates. Summed probability distributions are then contrasted across river basins and natural regions with the remainder of the East Texas Caddo Radiocarbon Database (n = 338 dates from 132 other Caddo sites), highlighting the temporal and spatial character of Caddo archaeological sites throughout East Texas.     

AMPHIBIAN AND REPTILIAN IMAGERY IN CADDO ART

Abstract

Although Caddo pottery is most recognized for its nonrepresentative decorative patterns, artists also incorporated zoomorphic figural components into their designs. Amphibian and reptilian depictions occur not only on pottery vessels but also on pipes, figurines, and pendants. Five modes of depiction occurred in the Caddo archaeological area, spanning the period from ca. A.D. 1100 to 1700. These depictions represent local expressions of the Beneath World creatures that were recognized by people across the Eastern Woodlands. These expressions embodied the power of the Beneath World and played a role in mediating with that power in regards to agriculture, travel, death, and political processes. The Caddo people integrated these zoomorphic representations into their distinctive tradition of pottery design, creating a unique cultural expression of a broader cosmological theme that was present throughout the Mississippian tradition.     

A Spanish Man‐o‐War in New Zealand? The 1864 wreck of Grafton and its lessons for pre‐Cook shipwreck claims

This paper considers the 1864 wreck of Grafton in the Auckland Islands, and its implications for wreck analysis and pre‐Cook exploration claims. The captain of Grafton, Thomas Musgrave, stated that the schooner was built from the wreck of a Spanish man‐o‐war, and archaeological analysis of the wreck found that the timbers are a tropical South American species, and had possibly been reused. The implications of this are clear; it is possible that timbers that originated in pre‐Cook (1769) ships lie in New Zealand, but without a full understanding of the historical and archaeological context of any such timbers, including their reuse in later ships, it is not possible to claim proof of pre‐Cook European exploration of New Zealand.     

Navigational Equipment from 't Vliegend Hart (1735)

The Dutch United East-India Company ship 't Vliegend Hart sank in the mouth of the River Scheldt in 1735. With archival sources the wreck was located in 1979, and in the following years researched and excavated, a process still continuing. This article gives a brief historical introduction on the ship, followed by a paragraph on the art of navigation and navigational instruments at the time of 't Vliegend Hart 's sailing. Thereafter this is compared with the navigational artefacts retrieved from the wreck. In the final paragraph the exploration of the 't Vliegend Hart wreck is briefly dealt with.
© 2006 The Authors     

Fishing Gear from a 7th-Century Shipwreck off Dor, Israel

The ancient anchorage of Dor, Israel, contains wreck-sites from several periods. Underwater exploration of one Byzantine wreck discovered the remains of a medium-size boat constructed with iron nails. Coin-finds dated it to c .665 AD, after the Muslim conquest. The wreck was probably caused by natural agents, but an event in the Byzantine-Muslim conflict can not be discounted. The artefacts include a group of objects testifying to the practice of light-fishing. Literary sources indicate a prevalence of light-fishing, but archaeological finds are very rare. This discovery clearly indicates light-fishing in late antiquity. A sounding-lead and steelyard can be seen as auxiliary to the fishing.
© 2007 The Authors     

The 9th‐Century‐AD Belitung Wreck,Indonesia: analysis of a resin lump

The 9th‐century‐AD Belitung wreck was discovered in 1998 in the Java Sea. Construction techniques rapidly confirmed that it was unlike any known Chinese or Southeast Asian vessel. The uncertainty about its origins was resolved in 2008 by timber identifications: it was constructed in the Middle East (probably Oman or Yemen). This paper, on the characterization of a dammar resin lump collected in the vicinity of the wreck, supplies additional evidence confirming the probable re‐stitching of the vessel somewhere in Asia. © 2010 The Authors     

The Natural Environment of the Shipwreck Vrouw Maria (1771) in the Northern Baltic Sea: an assessment of her state of preservation

Vrouw Maria, a merchant vessel sailing from Amsterdam to St Petersburg in 1771, ran aground in the northern Baltic Sea. Her cargo included Dutch works of art bought by Catherine the Great. The wreck was located in 1999, 41 m deep. This study aims to understand environmental factors and physical stresses affecting the wreck, using three different approaches—studying the wreck as an artificial reef; describing the conditions inside the wreck; and measuring the physical stresses caused by currents. The methods applied were biological, archaeological, hydrological, geological and physical. The data will be a basis for further monitoring. © 2010 The Authors     

TOM JONES (3HE40): GEOPHYSICAL SURVEY AND SPATIAL ORGANIZATION AT A CADDO MOUND SITE IN SOUTHWEST ARKANSAS

Abstract

This article outlines a process that has facilitated discoveries of intrasite pattern, architecture, and diagnostic artifacts at the prehistoric Caddo mound site Tom Jones (3HE40) in southwestern Arkansas. A methodology of multisensor geophysical survey using electrical resistance, electromagnetic conductivity, gradiometry, magnetic susceptibility, high accuracy survey and mapping, and data georeferencing enabled by geographic information system technology has proven to be an efficient, effective, and essential component of an overall research plan. In addition to providing insights regarding the intrasite organization of an upland Caddo ceremonial mound center, this technologically integrated approach has established that Saratoga chalk geology and Blackland Prairie clays combine to form an advantageous medium for geophysical discovery.