Archaeological Investigations at 12-J-160, A Late Archaic Site in the Muscatatuck National Wildlife Refuge Jackson County, Indiana, 2004: Final Report

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Date

2005-04

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Glenn A. Black Laboratory of Archaeology, Indiana University

Abstract

This manuscript reports on the fieldwork, analysis and interpretation of archaeological deposits at site 12-J-160, located within the Muscatatuck National Wildlife Refuge, Jackson County, Indiana. Evaluation of site 12-J-160 in July of 2004 was undertaken by archaeologists affiliated with the Glenn A. Black Laboratory of Archaeology, Office of Cultural Resource Management, Indiana University under contract with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service who requested investigations of the site to determine its potential eligibility for listing on the National Register of Historic Places. Systematic recovery and recording of artifacts and organic remains from the site deposits sampled, and the measurement of the volume of excavated deposits, permit comparisons of densities of materials. These data were used to determine the horizontal and vertical extent of the archaeological deposits and to explore some aspects of the structure of the site. Systematic recovery of geoarchoaeological data collected from soil profile columns and coring permit interpretation of the host landform and assessment of the processes that have acted on the site over time. Using these data we argue that site 12-J-160 is eligible for listing on the National Register of Historic Places under Criterion D. The results of our work suggest that the site represents occupational episodes of short duration in the Late Archaic period, perhaps by small groups of people who engaged in the extraction and processing of nuts and the manufacture of stone tools. These activities occurred in different loci, but in varying density. Our findings suggest that the site may retain elements of site activities and structure important to subregional and regional understandings of hunter-gatherer societies in the southern Midwest. Low-density scatters of mundane artifacts are often neglected by professional archaeologists, however when combined with preserved organic materials, patterns in the distributions of artifacts can produce information important to interpretations of social and economic organization among local populations.

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Abstracts are made available for research purposes. To view the full report, please contact the staff of the Glenn A. Black Laboratory of Archaeology (www.gbl.indiana.edu)

Keywords

archaeological report

Citation

Pope, Melody, and George Mankowski. 2005. "Archaeological Investigations at 12-J-160, A Late Archaic Site in the Muscatatuck National Wildlife Refuge Jackson County, Indiana, 2004: Final Report," Glenn A. Black Laboratory of Archaeology Report of Investigation 04-05

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Digital reproductions of reports from the Glenn A. Black Laboratory are made available for noncommercial, educational, and research purposes only. Copyright is reserved for the Trustees of Indiana University.

Type

Technical Report