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Pennsylvania Archaeologist 88(1):1-38 |
| The following paper presents data from the excavation and analysis of materials from the Griswold site (36Er62), a transitional late Middle Woodland–early Late Woodland site located in Millcreek Township, Pennsylvania. Multiple projects were conducted at the site prior to its destruction around 2011, though the content below primarily concerns excavations by William Engelbrecht and Edinboro University in the early 1970s. Using multiple lines of evidence, the authors present settlement and subsistence models for Griswold while also integrating the data into a broader discussion of the Middle to Late Woodland transition in the Northeast. Detailed ceramic and lithic analyses are presented. In doing so, the authors highlight issues associated with the temporal resolution of formal ceramic and lithic types. Additional contributions of this paper are the presentation of novel interpretations of the function of Jack’s Reef projectile points and the relationship between ceramic bossing and gripability. |
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Pennsylvania Archaeologist 88(1):38-56 The Manatawna Rockshelters, 36PH22 Chris C. Hummer |
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The Manatawna Rockshelters (W and Y), composed of massive blocks of serpentinite, overlook the Schuylkill River in northeastern Philadelphia. Excavations revealed occupations of hunters and quarrymen dating from Late Archaic to Terminal Archaic times. Locus W (MRS-W), the main shelter, consists of a large overhang. Locus Y (MRS-Y) is a small rectangular enclosure walled in on three sides. Both shelters contained chipped stone tools of the Terminal Archaic Susquehanna Broadspear type, while MRS-W also had Late Archaic Piedmont tradition evidence. Found as well were varying quantities of quarrying tools that are quite reminiscent of similar tools found at New England, Maryland, and Pennsylvania soapstone (steatite) quarries. |
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Pennsylvania Archaeologist 88(1):57-75 Wingate’s Mortar and the Seasonal Round Andrew J. Myers and Patricia A. Stahlman |
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This paper examines a bedrock mortar feature discovered in an Elk
County, Pennsylvania rock shelter. Mortar features are remnants of
food processing activity associated with the grinding of nuts and
corn. It is proposed here that many of these features, when found in
upland settings, were associated with the grinding of acorns rather
than corn. This hypothesis is supported by the short growing season
experienced throughout much of northwestern Pennsylvania that makes
growing corn difficult in many areas. The processing of nuts was an
important task conducted by members of the group while engaged in
the seasonal round; a procurement strategy intended to collect any
and all available food resources during the course of a seasonal
cycle. Corn was still grown but was one of many food sources
exploited throughout the year. Nutritionally acorns compare
favorably with modern grains including wheat and corn and would be
an important dietary supplement for Native groups occupying regions
only marginally suited for the growing of corn. Pennsylvania
Archaeologist 88(2):1-40 For nearly two centuries archaeologists have formed a picture of life during the Early and Middle Woodland periods in the Upper Ohio River Valley primarily from the excavation of burial mounds and hamlet sites. We know relatively little about the role of small, briefly occupied sites. In particular, we lack detailed information on the activities that occurred at such sites and how they relate to overall subsistence and settlement patterns at this time. The results of investigations at 36WH1729 address this issue and can be integrated with results from studies at other small sites in and beyond the region. At this small site in the Chartiers Creek watershed we documented repeated use during the Early and Middle Woodland periods focused on the procurement and processing of local animals and plants for food and materials. The activities at the briefly occupied camps at 36Wh1729 provided for both immediate use and consumption and for storage and later use at seasonal base camps or hamlets. Pennsylvania
Archaeologist 88(2):41-48 The archaeological remains of a wig-wam/wikiwah–an oval/ovoid type Native American living structure–was identified at 36BK0941 during the course of a Phase III Data Recovery investigation along the Schuylkill River in Exeter Township, Berks County, near the town of Birdsboro. The structure was denoted by the presence of postmolds found in the underlying subsoil subsequent to the mechanical removal of the overlying plow zone and surface soils for feature investigations. A total of 130 postmolds designated as Feature 27 were originally identified in a 6 x 4.6 m area. Many of the postmolds upon initial inspection exhibited a curvilinear configuration which ultimately led to the definitive identification of the structure. Pennsylvania
Archaeologist 88(2):49-56 Paleoindian sites with fluted points are not uncommon across Pennsylvania. However, only three sites in Pennsylvania have been proven to contain stratified deposits: Meadowcroft Rockshelter, the Shawnee-Minisink site, and the Wallis site. Why is there a paucity of stratified Paleoindian sites? This lack of stratified sites limits our ability to answer important questions about cultural change from pre-Clovis through the Paleoindian-Early Archaic transition. More stratified sites are needed. Deep alluvial soils hold the greatest potential for containing early sites, but testing deep soils is labor intensive and too often cost prohibitive. Proposed is a survey method that promises to increase our sample of archaeological sites within deeply buried alluvial deposits. Pennsylvania
Archaeologist 88(2):57-77 The Squirrel Hill archaeological site (36Wm0035) is a Johnston-phase Monongahela village located in Westmoreland County, Pennsylvania, on a terrace of the Conemaugh River near the town of New Florence. Although listed in the National Register of Historic Places, previous investigation is extremely limited; many questions remain to be answered, including verifying occupation and cultural affiliations; identifying the location and extent of site boundaries; characterizing the internal arrangement of houses, plaza, and stockades; and reconstructing the site’s paleo-landscape. In partnership with the Midwest office of the Archaeological Conservancy, we began to investigate these questions as part of the Indiana University of Pennsylvania’s 2016 Archaeological Field School using a combination of geophysical survey, test excavation, and geomorphic testing. We report on these field results, and recent radiocarbon, particle size, and soil micromorphology analyses designed to refine the nature of occupation and past landscape history for the site. |