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2009 Pennsylvania Archaeologist 79(1):1-29 |
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A number of recent studies have defined the seasonal hamlet as a
Monongahela settlement type. Investigations at the Grays Landing
site (36FA368) in Fayette County, Pennsylvania, yielded the most
complete picture of such a hamlet currently available and provided
data on the nature of subsistence and settlement there. Several
occupations can be defined at 36FA368, most of them focused on the
use of riverine resources primarily during the early spring. The
relationship of these seasonal occupations to the better-known
fortified upland and floodplain villages is examined and a revised
model of Monongahela settlement is presented. |
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2009 Pennsylvania Archaeologist 79(1):30-53 |
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The Ault site (36LY120) was partially excavated by members of the
North Central Chapter No. 8 of the SPA from 1993- 1996. The site
showed evidence of several historic and prehistoric components, the
most interesting of which was the remains of a Shenks Ferry
fortified village. The nature of the Shenks Ferry village and its
possible relationship to the preceding Clemsons Island/Owasco
component is the primary focus of this report. This paper is a
summary of a previously published report on the site (Bressler and
Rockey 1997). |
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2009 Pennsylvania Archaeologist 79(1):54-74 |
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Forty-six excavated potsherds from nine different sites in Ohio's
Hocking Valley were analyzed using x-ray diffraction (XRD) and
energy dispersive x-ray (EDX) in an attempt to identify clay sources
and determine the functional and chronological role of temper. The
study demonstrated that ( 1 ) all pottery in our sample was made
from Hocking Valley clays, (2) clays were selected by potters based
on proximity to the residential site and quality of the clays, (3)
clay sources were used over many generations, and (4) the transition
from grit tempered Baum to shell tempered Feurt ceramics increased
the strength of the pots, making them better suited for maize seed
storage. Within the context of a growing maize based economy, a
shifting division of labor, and an expanding Late Woodland/Late
Prehistoric Hocking Valley population that increasingly resided in
the more expansive floodplains, potters changed the temper agent in
their pots while maintaining the continuity of their clay sources. |
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2009 Pennsylvania Archaeologist 79(1):75-78 |
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2009 Pennsylvania Archaeologist 79(2):2-8 |
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2009 Pennsylvania Archaeologist 79(2):9-32 |
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Archaeological data recovery studies at several early 19th century
industrial sites near Orbisonia, Huntingdon County, examined the
diffusion of industrial technology into rural central Pennsylvania
and the adaptation of this technology to local landscape and
environmental conditions. At the Cromwell Mill site, in operation
from 1826 to circa 1910, the investigations revealed how the
owners overcame chronic water supply problems and integrated
the milling operation into a single dam and race complex that
powered three separate industries. They embraced new
technology that improved efficiency and made their enterprise
more competitive and profitable, even while continuing to rely on
water power as the principal power source into the 20th century. |
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2009 Pennsylvania Archaeologist 79(2):33-41 |
| The Old Town Cemetery site (33HS02) is a Late Archaic
cemetery dated to 2720±40 rcy B.P. The present analysis
indicates that the Old Town population shared a number of general
biocultural features in common with the western Ohio Late
Archaic population. These features include aspects of mortuary
behavior, a basic hunting-gathering diet, the magnitude of
physiological stress, and general body size. The last three of these
biocultural features are likely features shared by most lower Great
Lakes and upper Ohio Valley Late Archaic populations but the
shared mortuary behavior suggests some form of interaction or
shared cultural ancestry between the Old Town and the western
Ohio populations.
Genetic similarities of Old Town individuals, estimated from
the pattern of cranial metric variation, suggests that they represent
a population related to but distinct from the western Ohio Late
Archaic population and highly divergent from the central New
York Frontenac Island population. Analysis of genetic similarities
in the Late Archaic West Virginia Follansbee cemetery individuals
is consistent with the results from Old Town and suggests that the
upper Ohio Valley and adjacent areas (Unglaciated Allegheny
Plateau) was home to a Late Archaic population genetically
distinct from people to the east and west. |
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2009 Pennsylvania Archaeologist 79(2):42-58 Birdstones: A Continuing Enigma in North American Archaeology Marshall Joseph Becker |
| This paper reviews the origins, distribution, and use of
prehistoric "birdstones", with a focus on Pennsylvania and New
Jersey. Birdstones are one of the least understood artifact types
in North America, but commonly are associated with Late
Archaic period cultures in areas south of the Great Lakes.
Details of temporal origins and regional distributions remain to
be explored. |
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2009 Pennsylvania Archaeologist 79(2):59-73 Faith, Science, and Native American Origins: A Pennsylvania Discussion Jay F Custer |
| Native American and archaeological perspectives on the initial
peopling of Pennsylvania were presented at a recent conference
at the State Museum of Pennsylvania. This article presents a
discussion of the varied perspectives. Archaeologists often
assume the privilege of speaking with an authority based on their
objective and scientific methods. However, significant biases
are present and rarely recognized. Archaeologists can help to
alleviate these biases by being more careful about the ways they
use their data, and by seeking to gather information that can be
used to test existing ideas about the first people to inhabit
Pennsylvania. |
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2009 Pennsylvania Archaeologist 79(2):74-76 The Role of Avocational Archaeology in Pennsylvania Brian L. Fritz |
| The current role of amateur and avocational archaeology is
examined from an historical perspective and its relative
importance to the advancement of professional archaeology is
highlighted. |
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2009 Pennsylvania Archaeologist 79(2):77-78 |
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