Archaeological Site Formation Processes Research Articles

Geoarchaeology and Paleoenvironmental Context of the Burntwood Creek Rockshelter, High Plains of Northwestern Kansas, U.S.A

The first systematic geoarchaeological study of a rockshelter in Kansas yielded information about rockshelter formation, Holocene paleoenvironments, archaeological site formation processes, and prehistoric human habitation and site use. The rockshelter was carved by groundwater sapping; colluvium, alluvium, and roof‐fall debris subsequently accumulated on its floor. An assemblage of Late Archaic (∼2000–4000 14C years before present [yr B.P.]) cultural deposits (lithic material, bone, and charcoal) is preserved in a 2‐m thick package of colluvium and alluvium in front of the shelter. Chipped stone analysis indicates that Late Archaic occupants of the shelter were using mostly local materials and resharpening their stone tools at the shelter. Stable carbon isotope and phytolith analyses indicate that a mixed C3 and C4 plant community existed in the study area and that it changed in composition through the late Holocene. Based on the phytolith assemblage from an unlined fire pit at the front of the shelter, Late Archaic people used local hackberry trees for fuel and/or food.

Investigating archaeological site formation processes on the battleship USS Arizona using finite element analysis

Scientists from the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) worked in a collaborative partnership with archaeologists from the National Park Service's (NPS) Submerged Resources Center (SRC) to develop a finite element model (FEM) of the battleship USS Arizona. An FEM is a computer-based engineering model that calculates theoretical stresses, propagation of force, and shape changes to a structure under loads using thousands or even millions of individual elements whose individual responses are well understood. NIST researchers created an FEM of an 80 ft. (25 m) midships section of the Arizona site to analyze archaeological site formation processes on the sunken battleship, in particular to determine the current condition of the wreck and predict its future strength and structural integrity as it continues to corrode. The NIST's FEM study is one aspect of a larger project under the direction of the NPS, the USS Arizona Preservation Project, whose goal is to determine the nature and rate of corrosion affecting USS Arizona, and to model its long-term structural deterioration. The FEM incorporates findings from other key components of the USS Arizona Preservation Project, such as steel hull corrosion rates, structural surveys of the vessel, sediment compaction studies, and analysis of the concretion that covers the ship's hull, into a single tool that is being used to predict how the wreck will degrade in the future.

The archaeology and paleoenvironment of an Upper Pleistocene hyena den: An integrated approach

Data of high resolution for reconstructions of archaeological site formation processes can be obtained only by the use of precise excavation methods and comprehensive recovery techniques using fine-mesh water screening, followed by meticulous sorting and quantitative studies of all the small organic components from the screens. These methods are generally used at human occupation sites, but are not often employed at paleontological or mixed human-carnivore sites. At the site of Bois Roche, an Upper Pleistocene hyena den, we have used these meticulous recovery techniques in combination with absolute dating, geoarchaeological observations, taphonomic analyses, studies of microvertebrates and pollen analysis. Correlation of the site environmental data from pollen and microvertebrate assemblages with the vegetation record of a deep-sea core taken in the Bay of Biscay have allowed us to constrain the ages provided by ESR dating of bovid teeth and to reconstruct the physical environment of the site with a degree of confidence rarely achieved by the use of fossil remains from archaeological sites alone. Prior to our excavations, the site was interpreted as containing a mixed assemblage with evidence of hyena activities and human occupation in situ. Quantitative analysis of the small organic components present in large quantities in the sediments (deciduous hyena teeth, coprolite fragments, digested small bone fragments) prove, more than all other lines of evidence, that hyenas were in residence at Bois Roche, thus providing diagnostic criteria for distinguishing between occasional visitors and the main inhabitants of mixed human-carnivore sites. The analytical procedures presented in this paper have a value beyond the significance of the Bois Roche site because they can be applied to other sites.

A reinterpretation of the great pit at Hofstaðir, Iceland using sediment thin section micromorphology

The site at Hofstaðir in northeast Iceland has been central to the debate on pre-Christian Norse temples and temple-farm complexes throughout the Scandinavian world. Critical to an understanding of the site have been the various and conflicting interpretations of the great pit feature, which have included the hypotheses that it was intentionally made for the disposal of rubbish after temple feasts, that it was a cooking pit for large-scale food preparation within a temple–farm complex, and that it was the location of a rubbish tip for ordinary farmstead waste materials. In this article we test these competing hypotheses using the technique of thin section micromorphology. These analyses represent the first application of micromorphology to questions of archaeological site formation processes in Iceland, a volcanic island with commonly occurring Andisols. Although this soil type poses new challenges to archaeological soil micromorphology, it was found that pedofeatures, microstructures, and anthropogenic inclusions provide a basis for interpreting site formation processes on Andisols as on other soil types. We conclude that the pit feature had its origins as a sunken-featured building and that the hollow created by the building's abandonment and collapse was later filled with domestic farmstead waste. © 1999 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.

A reinterpretation of the great pit at Hofsta�ir, Iceland using sediment thin section micromorphology

The site at Hofstaðir in northeast Iceland has been central to the debate on pre-Christian Norse temples and temple-farm complexes throughout the Scandinavian world. Critical to an understanding of the site have been the various and conflicting interpretations of the great pit feature, which have included the hypotheses that it was intentionally made for the disposal of rubbish after temple feasts, that it was a cooking pit for large-scale food preparation within a temple–farm complex, and that it was the location of a rubbish tip for ordinary farmstead waste materials. In this article we test these competing hypotheses using the technique of thin section micromorphology. These analyses represent the first application of micromorphology to questions of archaeological site formation processes in Iceland, a volcanic island with commonly occurring Andisols. Although this soil type poses new challenges to archaeological soil micromorphology, it was found that pedofeatures, microstructures, and anthropogenic inclusions provide a basis for interpreting site formation processes on Andisols as on other soil types. We conclude that the pit feature had its origins as a sunken-featured building and that the hollow created by the building's abandonment and collapse was later filled with domestic farmstead waste. © 1999 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.

Ethnographic text formation processes

Although the textualist critique of ethnography has challenged the possibility of science in cultural anthropology, insights provided by that critique are crucial for the further development of a scientific approach in the discipline. The value of the textualist critique of ethnography for the development of scientific ethnology can best be seen through an analogy with archaeology. Just as archaeologists' ability to reconstruct the past has been enhanced, not undermined, by a detailed understanding of archaeological site formation processes, so can ethnologists' ability to understand patterns within and among human societies be enhanced through a better understanding of ethnographic text formation processes. Key elements of the textualist critique of ethnography, including an emphasis on reflexivity, multivocality, and the process of writing ethnography, are great aids in the elucidation of ethnographic text formation processes.

Stone tools: theoretical insights into human prehistory

Recent Trends in Lithic Analysis. Theoreticians Enter Orbit. A Call to Merge Theory and Practice. Part I.: Research Design. Evaluating Lithic Strategies and Design Criteria B. Hayden, et al.Part II: Curation. Economizing Behavior and the Concept of 'Curation' G.H. Odell. Is Curation a Useful Heuristic? S.E. Nash. Hunter-Gatherer Lithic Economy and Settlement Systems: Understanding Regional Assemblage Variability in the Upper Paleolithic of Portuguese Estremadura P.T. Thacker. Part III.: Stone Tools and Complex Societies. The Decline and Fall of Flint S.A. Rosen. Lithic Analysis and Questions of Cultural Complexity: The Maya J.K. Johnson. The Role of Chipped Stone in the Political Economy of Social Ranking M.S. Nassaney.Part IV.: Innovation and Style in Projectile Points. When Is an Elko? M.R. Rondeau. Projectile Points, Style and Social Process in the Preceramic of Central Peru J.W. Rick. Innovation and Selection in Prehistory: A Case Study from the American Bottom M.J. Shott.Part V: Technique and Methodology. Microwear Analysis of Some Clovis and Experimental Chipped Stone Tools M. Kay. Lithic Refitting and Archaeological Site Formation Processes: A Case Study from the Twin Ditch Site, Greene County, Illinois T.A. Morrow.Part VI: Conclusion. A Discussion of Seemingly Important Issues G.H. Odell, et al. Index.

Pollen-record formation processes, interdisciplinary archaeology, and land use by mill workers and managers: The Boott Mills Corporation, Lowell, Massachusetts, 1836–1942

The pollen content of a soil profile is altered by natural processes that destroy pollen and move it downward in the profile. This downward movement separates older pollen from younger in slowly accumulating profiles and produces a spectrum with larger concentrations of pollen at the top of the profile and more pollen that appears degraded at the bottom. Archaeological site formation processes may be evaluated by comparison with this natural spectrum. When this pattern appears in an archaeological profile, cultural deposition has been slow. In places where there was more human activity, soil compression and faster sediment deposition preclude pollen percolation. These soil compression and fast sedimentation processes produce pollen concentrations that correlate with shifts in pollen types and reflect the relative density of vegetation. Reversals of the natural pollen concentration and degradation patterns and pollen concentrations shifting abruptly without clear stratigraphic boundaries in the soil reflect buried and exposed episodic fills and soil disturbance of several kinds. These pollen-record formation processes are used to define the nature and intensity of residential land use by mill workers and mill managers in 19th-century Lowell, Massachusetts.

The recent fur trade in Northwestern Saskatchewan

Archaeological survey in northwestern Saskatchewan identified sites ascribable to three resident ethnic/cultural groups: Chipewyan Indians, Cree/Metis Cree Indians and Euro-Canadians. Emphasis was placed on recording 19th and early 20th century sites, which are under-reported in the archaeological literature for the area. Archaeology, informant testimony and on-site interpretation of features, and ethnoarchaeological research on contemporary communities were combined to study ecological adaptations of the three populations and to define archaeological site formation processes. Each population adapted to the fur trade and to the other populations by filling specialized roles or occupations within the new mercantile system. Evidence for these different adaptations is discussed.