NEW PERSPECTIVES ON MISSISSIPPIAN OCCUPATIONS IN WESTERN TENNESSEE AND NORTHWESTERN MISSISSIPPI: RECENT CHRONOLOGICAL AND GEOPHYSICAL INVESTIGATIONS AT CHUCALISSA (40SY1), SHELBY COUNTY,TENNESSEE

Abstract

Investigations at Chucalissa (40SY1) in Shelby County, Tennessee, have been instrumental in establishing Mississippian period chronology for southwestern Tennessee and much of the surrounding region. Excavations conducted in 2003 produced a suite of new radiocarbon dates that has provided a refined developmental lineage of occupations in West Tennessee and northwestern Mississippi, while geophysical investigations in 2011 have clarified our understanding of the late prehistoric occupation of the site and validated suggestions of distinctive mound architecture in a region extending over a large portion of the Southeast.     

Bioturbation of Submerged Sites by the Asiatic Clam: A Case Study from Amistad Reservoir SW Texas

Abstract

Burrowing clams represent a poorly studied threat to shallowly buried and submerged archaeological sites across North America. Test excavations at a formerly submerged prehistoric terrace site in SW Texas unearthed burrowing clams (Asiatic clam Corbicula fluminea) in, under; and around features. A review of this clam's ecology, burrowing habits, geographical distribution, and presence in this and other archacological sites illustrates the potential for significant sediment disturbances.     

Testing the sustainability and sensitivity to climatic change of terrace agricultural systems in the Peruvian Andes: a pilot study

The results of an integrated geoarchaeological and palaeoecological pilot study of a prehistoric agricultural terrace and nearby mire basin are presented. They reveal two stages of terrace construction for the cultivation of Zea mays during the Middle Horizon (615–695 AD) and late, Late Intermediate Period (1200–1400 AD). These stages were strongly associated with evidence for vegetation succession, destabilisation and erosion of the surrounding landscape, and changes in mire surface wetness. The reasons for agricultural terrace abandonment and/or reconstruction are uncertain, with only circumstantial evidence for climatically induced agricultural change.     

Prehistoric Footprints in Jaguar Cave,Tennessee

Abstract

About 4500 years ago, during the Late Archaic period, nine explorers reconnoitered several passages within a large cave in north central Tennessee. Although prehistoric cave exploration was not unusual in eastern North America, this particular trip is unique because 274 footprints of these ancient cavers are preserved in the damp floor sediment of a side passage. Analyses of the route taken by the explorers, and of their footprint trail significantly enhance our knowledge of cave use in prehistoric eastern North America.     

Food production in the Early Woodland: macrobotanical remains as evidence for farming along the riverbank in eastern Tennessee

ABSTRACT

Open riverbanks and disturbed floodplains are targeted by archaeologists as optimal habitats for the growth of many of the weedy indigenous seed crops in eastern North America, but there is still little evidence for garden locations in the archaeological record. This article combines macrobotanical and geoarchaeological analyses from the Birdwell site (40GN228), located on the Nolichucky River, to give insight into where cultigens were planted and how they were managed in eastern Tennessee during the Early Woodland period. The recovery of uncharacteristic amounts of edible seeds and wood charcoal from the lower terrace of this site suggests that inhabitants were actively managing cultigens along the floodplain of this settlement. The presence of these remains in a non-midden context is evidence that precontact farmers in the Tennessee foothills took advantage of the newly created floodplains of the Early Woodland by implementing a burning regime, an early agricultural strategy aimed at increasing soil productivity and encouraging the growth of weedy annuals on the riverbank. In absence of lines of evidence such as preserved paleosols that can be examined for soil micromorphology, pollen, and phytoliths, integrated paleoethnobotanical and geomorphological analyses can be used to reconstruct land use and archaeologically identify prehistoric cultivated fields.     

Archaeological investigations and OSL dating of terraces at Ramat Rahel,Israel

Abstract

Dating terraces, the most prominent feature of the agricultural landscape in many parts of the world, is a problem for archaeologists. This study presents an interdisciplinary approach that combines archaeological survey and excavations with direct sediment dating of terrace fill using Optically Stimulated Luminescence (OSL). The study focuses on Ramat Rahel, a multi-period site located in the southern outskirts of modern Jerusalem, Israel, where, on a defined terraced slope chosen for a small-scale landscape archaeology project, three main phases of terrace construction and use were identified. The earliest phase dates to the Late Byzantine/Early Islamic period, the second to medieval times, and the last to the Ottoman period. The results enable a comprehensive reconstruction of the changing local landscape through time and demonstrate the validity of OSL, when combined with archaeological investigations, as a reliable method for terrace dating.     

GEOPHYSICAL INVESTIGATIONS OF LATE FOURCHE MALINE AND EARLY CADDO SETTLEMENT PATTERNING AT THE CRENSHAW SITE (3MI6)

Abstract

The Terán-Soule model provides a testable means to establish if the prehistoric settlement pattern of the Caddo in the Great Bend region of the Red River consists of vacant mound centers with associated dispersed farmsteads. To evaluate the model, a geophysical survey of the Crenshaw site (3MI6) mound center was conducted in off-mound areas to determine if structures were present there. The 3.2-ha survey identified over 100 geometric anomalies, of which more than 50 are possibly structures associated with either Late Fourche Maline or Early Caddo occupations. Several possible structures were found in linear rows, including an oval series of possible structures 90 × 85 m in diameter. Additional finds include large circular anomalies between 25 and 48 m in diameter, sometimes around possible structures, suggesting the presence of compound fences, as shown in the Terán map.     

Paradigms,Assumptions, Enclosure,and Violence: The Hillforts of Strathdon

Abstract

This paper examines the assumptions and intellectual models that lie behind the debate around the connections between violence, warfare, and hillfort construction. These underlining academic paradigms have been heavily influenced by current social and political mores, which have created a context in which prehistoric and Early Medieval hillforts are studied in isolation and where the theoretical models have been developed from and with sole reference to the prehistoric period. In turn the debate in Scotland is based on a very limited number of dated hillforts. New excavation by the author from Aberdeenshire has allowed an attempt at an integrated settlement sequence and this is presented in the assumed context of violence as a dominant influencing factor in hillfort design and construction at specific periods.     

The Development of A Prehistoric Complex Society: A Regional Perspective from the Valley of Mexico

Abstract

A regional perspective is desirable in the archaeological study of prehistoric complex societies. Over the past decade systematic surface survey has provided such a perspective for the period between 1100 B.C. and 1520 A.C. in the Valley of Mexico. This paper attempts to illustrate something of the utility of regional settlement pattern analysis as one phase of a long-term research program aimed at explaining cultural evolution in precolumbian Central Mexico.     

Paleolithic occupations of the Göllü Dağ, Central Anatolia,Turkey

Abstract

Systematic archaeological surface reconnaissance of the Göllü Da? volcanic complex from 2007 to 2012 documented more than 230 findspots with Paleolithic artifacts, ranging from isolated finds to extensive and dense scatters of artifacts. Most of the activities represented relate to exploitation of the rich obsidian resources in the region. Paleolithic artifacts are attributed mainly to the Middle Paleolithic based on the presence of Levallois technology but there is a substantial Lower Paleolithic component represented by handaxes and other large bifacial tools. Upper and Epipaleolithic sites and artifacts are scarce or absent in the survey sample. The distributions of handaxes and Levallois elements differ substantially, reflecting differences in site preservation and exposure as well as organization of prehistoric activities. Multiple variants of Levallois are represented but centripetal preferential and unipolar flake production dominate. The frequent co-occurrence of different Levallois forms suggests flexible reduction strategies. Distributions of different classes of artifact across the survey area indicate that the Middle Paleolithic occupations of Göllü Da? were not entirely oriented toward workshop activities.     

Sediment Peels from Prehistoric Sites

Abstract

A method for making sediment peels from profiles at prehistoric sites is described. It consists of placing a piece of cheesecloth over a cleaned profile and then applying several coats of white, polyvinyl acetate glue (Elmer's Glue-All). After the glue dries, the peel is removed, mounted on a board and then ready for study or storage. The sediment peel is an effective means of preserving the prehistoric profile and, as important, reveals cryptic stratigraphic features that are important in reconstructing the environment of deposition of the sediment and the environment of prehistoric man.     

Landscape Archaeology in a Dry-Stream Valley near Tell es-Sâfì/Gath (Israel): Agricultural Terraces and the Origin of Fill Deposits

Abstract

As part of the long-term archaeological project being conducted at Tell e-Sâfi/Gath in the semi-arid foothills of the Judean Mountains, a first order dry stream channel located in a valley east of the main site was surveyed and soil pits excavated in selected locations. A ditch, 10 m in length, was dug perpendicular to one of the agricultural terraces, showing that the small valley is filled with soil to a depth of more than 3 m above bedrock. The fill dates mainly to the Byzantine period (ca. 4^th-7^th cent. CE), according to the ceramic sherds. Three check-dam walls and related terraces were found across the width of the valley. Surprisingly, the base of the check-dam does not go deeper than 50 em into the uppermost part of the fill, well above bedrock or gravel layers, while covering only the upper part of the terrace step. Thus we use the term “floating terrace wall” or “floating check-dams”. Each of the terrace walls is about 0.5 m high and 50 m long. The valley is bound by two slopes: (1) a northeast facing slope characterized by Nari outcrops (a hard calcrete crust in the upper part of the chalk bedrock) and soil pockets, and (2) a southwest facing slope without Nari. The source of most valley fill material is apparently from the slope without Nari. The valley shows comparatively little accumulation during the Iron Age and very much accumulation during the Byzantine period. The main cause seems to be human-made earth movement and terrace building during the Byzantine period, rather than passive erosion and accumulation as a result of general environmental pressure by human activity.     

The “land of conjecture:” New late prehistoric discoveries at Maitland’s Mesa and Wisad Pools,Jordan

Abstract

Major cultural transformations took place in the southern Levant during the late prehistoric periods (ca. late 7th–4th millennia b.c.). Agropastoralists expanded into areas previously only sparsely occupied and secondary animal products played an increasingly important economic role. In the arable parts of the southern Levant, the olive in particular became increasingly significant and may have played a part in expanded exchange contacts in the region. Technological expertise developed in craft production, and the volume and diversity of status goods increased, particularly in funerary contexts. Mortuary and other ritual practices became increasingly pronounced. General study syntheses, however, rarely include more than a cursory mention of the more arid regions of the southern Levant (i.e., Negev, eastern and southern Jordan, and Syria). Recent investigations indicate that intensive exploitation of the regions may date to these late prehistoric periods, yet this evidence has been difficult to attribute to specific chronological period or cultural affiliations. The Eastern Badia Archaeological Project investigates two regions for a potential florescence of building and occupation during the late prehistoric periods in the eastern desert of Jordan.     

Experimental Flake Scatter-Patterns: a New Interpretative Technique

Abstract

Scatters of flint waste flakes are among the commonest finds on prehistoric sites. To understand how such patterns are formed, we made a series of Neolithic axe roughouts and other tools and recorded the distribution of waste flakes. The most important variable affecting the size and shape of flake scatter patterns seems to be the knapper's position. The applications of these experiments to prehistoric data are considered.     

The Prehistoric Local Environment of Grasshopper Pueblo,Arizona

Abstract

The prehistoric local environment near Grasshopper Pueblo, east-central Arizona, is reconstructed by analysis of mammalian microfauna recovered at the site. Changes in the vegetation surrounding the pueblo during the span of occupation (ca. 1300–1400 A.C.) are described and the present and past environments at the site are contrasted. Paleoenvironmental analyses to date have failed to produce evidence for a rapid prehistoric climatic shift with negative consequences for agricultural productivity.     

Exploration of Inland Southern Italy

Abstract

This report concerns the problem of combining prehistoric and historical remains in a unified frame of reference.     

The Origins and Ethics of Maritime Archaeology – Part I

Abstract

For archaeologists, the principal value of prehistoric figurines is that they offer a means – however limited – into the cultures and lives of prehistoric peoples. There is a long tradition of archaeologists assuming that the figurines they unearth had a religious significance for the people who created them (since anthropomorphic figurines have a religious use in many cultures with which we are familiar). However, just as archaeologists began questioning their attribution of divine status to prehistoric figurines in the 1960s, practitioners of neopagan and goddess spiritualities – particularly those in the feminist spirituality movement – were adopting it. Moreover, in addition to describing prehistoric figurines as images of a Great Goddess who dominated prehistoric religious life, these contemporary feminist neopagans use reproductions of prehistoric figurines to inspire and enact their own spirituality. Feminist neopagan appropriation of prehistoric figurines has been problematic for many archaeologists, who quarrel – legitimately – with the conclusions feminist neopagans make about prehistory based on these artefacts. Yet, as this article argues, the contemporary religious use of prehistoric figurines should not be a matter for archaeologists to decide.     

Gete Odena: Grand Island’s Post-Contact Occupation at Williams Landing

Abstract

Two seasons of excavation were conducted at Gete Odena, a Terminal WoodlandlHistoric Period site near Williams Landing. We discuss two significant findings from the post-contact period. The first is the discovery of six pits investigated through a performance-based analysis and thought to be used in hide processing. The second significant finding is the identification of the occupation surfaces associated with the late eighteenth- and early nineteenth-century component. Our investigation has revealed information about site function, seasonality, and hide-smoking technology during the late prehistoric/early historic Native American occupation of the island.     

Excavations at 18 Castle Street (Albion Court), Aberdeen

Abstract

A small terrace of buildings in a lane behind the north side of Castle Street, Aberdeen (NJ945064) was surveyed prior to demolition. Subsequent excavation revealed that it had been constructed as a two-storied row in c. 1650–60. There was a substantial rebuilding c. 1750–60 with the addition of attics lit by dormer windows. Contemporary rebuilding was also taking place on the Castle Street frontages. In c. 1830 further rebuilding was carried out on the southern end of the terrace. By the middle of the 19th century the whole terrace was being rented for multi-tenancy occupation.     

Prehistoric shell beads on the Georgia coast

ABSTRACT

The prehistoric peoples living along the Georgia coast fabricated and used shell beads for millennia. Out of a number of mollusk species inhabiting the region, only a few were selected for the fabrication of beads. The knobbed whelk (Busycon carica) was the most common species used, and it represents the most common whelk found in Atlantic coastal waters. The lightning whelk (Busycon sinistrum), the second most common whelk in the region, was occasionally used in the production of beads. Small numbers of beads were made from marginella and olive shells and, rarely, from bivalve species. Small beads were manufactured from the body whorl of whelks, while larger beads were fabricated from whelk collumella. Shell beads appear in small quantities in Late Archaic period contexts, and then almost disappear during the Woodland period. Beads reappear in quantities at about AD 800 in the Early Mississippian period. More shell beads have been recovered from Mississippian period archaeological contexts along the northern Georgia coast than along the southern coast, reflective of cultural differences between these two geographic areas in the post-Woodland period era.