Archy site I've been working on

[snedeker]

My bow production is down this summer cause I've been doing some real archaeology for a change. I'm a consultant and a lot of what I do is pretty routine bull.  We got to dig a site near Altoona PA though that I'm writing up the report on, that turned out pretty cool.  On a little hillside northeast (upwnd) of a stream confluence, used to be a spring next to it til the highway screwed it over.  People used is as a butchering and hideworking station it appears from late Paleo times through the Early Archaic (8,500-6,800 BC).   Couple dozen projectile point/knives (no bow/arrows then of course) that were very hard to diagnose.  Amazing how poorly known this area is archaeologically.  Did microwear studies  and ID'ed mostly hide working wear on tools.  Did protein residue studies and came up with a lot of dog and rodent type matches as opposed to dear - weird until a colleague told me about small mammal gut being a popular hafting wrap for prim hunters. Spatial distribution patterns showed a remarkable stablity of where things were done, surprising cause I think it was mulitple small visits foro 2000 years.  Did survey or stone tool material sources and matched up artifacts do exact sources with mass spectrometry analysis of trace elements.   they used a very high grade light tan chert, anbd its interesting cause in ensuing periods they stop usiing that and switch to a gray chert.  I know this cause we dug a site half km away 20 years ago and found later stuff and all gray chert.
These hunters would probably have been amused at the studies we did.  report due in 2 weeks and then maybe I cab get back into the wood pile.

Dave

[Coo-wah-chobee]

   I find this very interestin Dave. Please update as ya can. Down here in florida the state and developers have been screwin' over everythin fer decades unless can be made inta a tourist trap of course !...........bob

[GregB]

Interesting information, I once found a small point in the garden behind my parents house. I still have that point, and can't help but wonder as to its history.

[D. Tiller]

Sound pretty cool Dave.  Worked on an Archy dig myself back arround 94 on the snake river in OR on a pre European community of pit houses dug into terraces allong the river valley. Found lots of Mattates and yellow and red chert points allong with many other artifacts. Fresh water was close by and lots of salmon bones along with deer and others were found. But the the majority was salmon since the snake has salmon runs in the fall. The opinion was that the village was part of a systematic round but I had my own theory that they were also farming corn in the valley across from the village which was situated in a chaperal canyon just off the river with a fresh source of water running through the small valley. Wish I could have gone back and do some more research.  Ahh but allas there seems to be little money in archealogy, now I make soap for a living! 

David T

[Hhop]

That is great information. Do you mean that you can determine what type of animal a stone blade was used to butcher or cut up, based upon protein residue? I would also love to get more information as you have it available.
Harold

[jamie]

keep the info coming. i deal with a lady from the local institute who saw me knapping and freaked to see somebody using stone tools. it opened her eyes and now i use her eyes to tell me things. although im stubborn and usually disagree. lol. any pics of tools or the site available. peace

[D. Tiller]

Jamie that last was a bit cryptic. Can you open our "eyes" to what your meant by Freakin and "Using her eyes"? 

[jamie]

i have not, repeat have not, removed her eyes from her head. lol

[D. Tiller]

Thank you for enlightenning us! I was a bit worried! 

[snedeker]

I'll "dig up" a couple of pics of the major tools and post. 

The protein residue is interesting.  It was borrowed from technology developed in criminal case studies.  Apparently each blood serum grouping leaves a pretty identifiable signature. They use a chemical wash to get it.  You get  a list of serum matches that are to things like

Chicken
Bovine
Dog
Rat
Guinea Pig
Deer

Chicken means it was grouse or something, bovine is eastern woodland bison (for which there was one match), guinea pig relates to small rodents other than rat eg woodchuck or squirrel.  there were bison in PA in the 1600s.

I was meeting with a statistician today who is going to tell me from which source they ot the chert present at the site.

More Later

Dave

[snedeker]

Here is a photo showing some projectile points.  In the top row, left most one is a drill made on a Plano point (Late Paleo), one to its right is a scraper made out of a used up dalton point of Late Paleo.  One to its right is an Early Archaic point from 8,000-7,000 BC, right most is late paleo (8,500-8,000 BC) similar to Greenbrier type.  Most of the others we thing are Early Archaic, either Kirk-Palmer like or unknown stemmed.  On at bottom right is gray chert Late Archaic point made into hafted scraper

Dave

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[Coo-wah-chobee]

               Ver interestin' Dave , thx fer sharin'. Early archaic are also interestin' ta woulnd't know the dimensions on bottom 2 on left would ya ?.......bob

[snedeker]

They're about 42 and 48 mm long, 32 mm wide, 7 mm thick.  Look like Stanly (Middle Archaic) or Savannah River (Middle to late Archaic) but not quite right.  Those types are usually expediently flaked  on crud stone but these are finel flaked on primo pieces.

[makete]

Keep up the information as we find this very interesting. Or atleast "I" do. 

[Allen]

Dave,

Thanks for posting this! 

I too, find it fascinating.

Thanks,
Allen