IPFW-AS News
Field School
Announcement for Summer I 2009
Anthropology P405,
18 May – 26 June, 2009
 Indiana-Purdue University Fort
Wayne will offer an archaeological field school during the first summer
session of 2009. The course carries six credit hours and meets Monday
through Friday from 8:00 am–6:00 pm. The curriculum will focus on
practical field experience, including archaeological survey, excavation
techniques, and preparation of field documents. Informal lectures on
various aspects of Indiana prehistory will provide students with a
basic background in the culture history of the region and the proper
use of a variety of research methods and field techniques.
The field school is part of the Archaeological Survey’s research and
education efforts. The course will be taught by
Dr. Robert G. McCullough and researchers from the
IPFW-Archaeological Survey. The field school is part of a multi-year
research project focusing on the Late Prehistoric period in Indiana.
Excavations will be conducted at sites within Allen County, Indiana.
Transportation will be provided. Major field
equipment and most expendable supplies also will be furnished. Students
will be responsible for tuition and the fees assessed for six semester
hours of credit, and personal excavation supplies (trowel, line level,
tape measure, etc.) totaling about $35.
Class space is limited to 12 students. Completion of an application
is required. Applications must be received by April 7.
Download a PDF
application here: FS2009
Application (44 k).
Or get an application at the Anthropology department office (Kettler
Hall G11A).
We appreciate any advertisement.
View or download a jpeg of the 2009
Field School Poster (1 MB, suitable for framing).
For further information, please contact:
Dr. Robert G. McCullough
IPFW Archaeological Survey
2101 E. Coliseum Blvd.
Fort Wayne, Indiana 46805-1499
Phone: 260-481-6892
E-mail: mccullor@ipfw.edu
Fax: 260-481-6880 (please put any correspondence to Dr. McCullough’s
attention)
Winter
2008 Update (Grants and Major Contracts Awarded)
The IPFW-AS has received notification of funding for four major
research projects, as well as two long-term contracts for
archaeological
services.
- Intensive
Geophysical Survey and Archaeological Assessment of Western
Basin Tradition Sites: The Kramer
Enclosure, the Adams Enclosure, and a Habitation Site (12-Al-505) in
Allen
County, Indiana, awarded April 2008 by the Indiana Department of Natural
Resources, Division of Historic Preservation and Archaeology.
This research was designed to better define
the regional settlement system for the Late
Prehistoric Western Basin
peoples of northeastern Indiana
through an
investigation of three diverse sites. Little information has been
published
about these groups, but they are known to have settled as far south as
central Indiana along the White River.
A report of the 2008 investigations (ROI 901) is currently in
production.
- Public
Archaeology at Strawtown
Koteewi Park,
September 2008, awarded April 2008 by the Indiana Department of Natural
Resources, Division of Historic Preservation and Archaeology.
This funding supported three weeks of
educational programming open to the public during Indiana Archaeology
Month at Strawtown
Koteewi Park.
The focus of the public excavations is the first domestic structure
identified
within the Strawtown enclosure. A report of the fall 2008
investigations (ROI
902) is currently in production.
- Sites
Related to the 1791 Scott-Wilkinson Campaign
(Robert McCullough and Michael Strezewski, co-PIs), awarded
July 2008 by the National Park Service, American Battlefield Protection
Program.
General Scott’s 1791 expedition against the Native Americans along the Wabash not only destroyed Kethtippecanunk, but
also
Ouiatenon and Native villages in its vicinity. This grant will support
geophysical investigations and limited ground truthing to identify the
extent
of the engagements around Ouiatenon. Field investigations currently are
scheduled
for summer 2009.
- Indiana Statewide Comprehensive Inventory
of Native American Mounds and Earthworks, awarded
January 2009 to the Indiana Department of Natural
Resources, Division of Historic Preservation and Archaeology,
by the National Park Service, Preserve
America Program. The IPFW-AS will
partner with such other institutions as the University of Notre Dame
and Ball
State University under the auspices of the Indiana DHPA to produce the
first
comprehensive inventory of Indiana’s prehistoric mounds and earthworks
through
archival research and site assessments.
- On-call
geophysical survey services across Indiana,
awarded May 2008 for two years by the Indiana State
Museum.
This contract
will provide geophysical assessments of sites investigated by Indiana State Museum
personnel during
their research projects.
- On-call
archaeological services over two years, awarded October
2008 by the Indiana Department of Transportation. These services will
be
primarily Phase Ic and II testing projects in advance of highway
construction
projects throughout the state.
Field School
Announcement for Summer I 2008
Anthropology
P405,
19 May – 27 June, 2008
 Indiana-Purdue University Fort Wayne will
offer an
archaeological field school during the first summer session of 2008.
The course carries six credit hours and meets Monday through Friday
from 8:00 am–6:00 pm. The curriculum will focus on practical field
experience, including archaeological survey, excavation techniques, and
preparation of field documents. Informal lectures on various aspects of
Indiana prehistory will provide students with a basic background in the culture
history of the region and the proper use of a variety of research
methods and field techniques, including excavation and geophysical
prospection.
The field school is part of the Archaeological Survey’s research and
education efforts. The course will be taught by
Dr. Robert G. McCullough and researchers from the
IPFW-Archaeological Survey.
The field school will contribute to important research projects
concerning the Woodland and Late Prehistoric periods in Indiana
prehistory. Excavations will be conducted at sites within Allen County,
Indiana.
Transportation to and from the sites will be provided. Major field
equipment and most expendable supplies also will be furnished. Students
will be responsible for tuition and the fees assessed for six semester
hours of credit and personal excavation supplies (trowel, line level,
tape measure, etc.) totaling about $35.
Class space is limited to 14 students. Completion of an application
is required. Applications must be received by April 16.
Download a PDF
application here: FS2008
Application (25 k)
Or get an application at the Anthropology department office (Kettler
Hall G11A).
We appreciate any advertisement. View or download a PDF of the 2008
Field School Poster (4 MB, suitable for framing).
For further information, please contact:
Dr. Robert G. McCullough
IPFW Archaeological Survey
2101 E. Coliseum Blvd.
Fort Wayne, Indiana 46805-1499
Phone: 260-481-6892
E-mail: mccullor@ipfw.edu
Fax: 260-481-6880 (please put any correspondence to Dr. McCullough’s
attention)
Fall 2007 Update (Grants Awarded)
The IPFW-AS has received
several important grants and donations for the 2007-2008 period. These
include:
- Archaeological
Survey and Assessment of Clark County, Indiana, awarded by the Indiana Department of Natural
Resources, Division of Historic Preservation and Archaeology. Clark County contains important
archaeological resources ranging from the Paleoindian to the historic
periods. Clark County has a rapidly
expanding local economy and the pace of development continues to
increase, threatening to diminish the informational value of the local
archaeological record. The areas included in this project reflect major
prehistoric, colonial, and early
nationhood cultural movements in eastern North America.
- Intensive Survey of the Forts of Fort
Wayne, Allen County, Indiana, awarded by the Indiana Department of Natural
Resources, Division of Historic Preservation and Archaeology.
The City of Fort
Wayne
is known to have been the location of five forts built between 1722 and
1815 in
an effort to establish first French, and then American control over the
portage
between the Maumee and Wabash Rivers. This thoroughfare
was of strategic importance
because of the access it provided to the Mississippi
drainage and by extension to the Gulf of Mexico.
The report of investigations (ROI
801) is now available.
- Public Archaeology at Strawtown
Koteewi Park,
September 2008, awarded by the Indiana Department
of Natural Resources, Division of Historic Preservation and Archaeology. This project will also result in a
National Register nomination for a site near
the Strawtown enclosure. During the past six years, IPFW has worked
with the Hamilton County
Parks Department to assess and explore the unique archaeological
heritage of the 750-acre park.
The goals of this project are to clarify the Late Prehistoric
population dynamics of central
Indiana, create a cultural and educational resource at the park for
central Indiana, and develop
the archaeological resources of the park as a destination for regional
tourism. The report of investigations (ROI
803) is now available.
February 23 Update (Field School
Announcement)
Anthropology
P405
15 May – 23 June, 2006
Indiana-Purdue University
Fort Wayne will offer an archaeological field school during the first
summer session of 2006. The course carries six credit hours and
meets Monday through Friday from 8:00 am–6:00 pm. The curriculum
will focus on practical field experience, including archaeological
survey,
excavation techniques, and preparation of field documents.
Informal
lectures on various aspects of Indiana prehistory will provide students
with a basic background in the culture history of the region and the
proper
use of a variety of research methods and field techniques.
The
field school is part
of the Archaeological Survey’s research and education efforts.
The
course will be taught by Dr.
Robert G. McCullough, Dr. Michael
Strezewski, and Andrew
A. White
of the IPFW-Archaeological Survey. The 2006 field school will
contribute to two research
projects focused at opposite ends of the archaeological record.
Excavations will be conducted at both a northeastern Indiana Paleoindian
site (ca. 8,000 B.C.) and at Kethtippecanunk, a
French and Wea Indian village that was attacked and burned in 1791.
Excavations at these two sites will have different goals and
utilize different methodologies, and will expose students to a variety
of archaeological techniques.
Transportation to and from
the sites will be provided. Out-of-town overnight travel will
be required for the last three weeks of the field school.
The Archaeological Survey
will provide meals and lodging during overnight travel. Major
field equipment and most expendable supplies also will be
furnished. Students will be responsible for tuition and the fees
assessed for six semester hours of credit and personal excavation
supplies (trowel, line level,
tape measure, etc.) totaling about $35.
Class space is limited to
14 students.
Completion of an application
is required. Applications
are available online or from the Anthropology department office
(Kettler Hall G11A). The 2006 field school poster (suitable for
framing)
is available here.
For further information, please contact:
Dr. Robert G. McCullough
IPFW Archaeological Survey
2101 E. Coliseum Blvd.
Fort Wayne, Indiana 46805-1499
Phone: 260-481-6892
E-mail: mccullor@ipfw.edu
FAX: 260-481-6880 (please put any correspondence to Dr. McCullough’s
attention).
February 20, 2006 update
Andy White will give a public presentation entitled "Into
the Divide: Big Game, Small Game, and the Birth of Regional Native
American Cultures at the End of the Ice Age" at the History Center in Fort
Wayne (302 E. Berry) on March 5, 2:00 pm. The lecture will
discuss how regional Paleoindian cultures in the Great Lakes and Ohio
Valley developed out of the pan-continental (Clovis) phenomenon. This presentation is
part of the Northeastern
Indiana Paleoindian Project, supported by the Indiana Department of Natural
Resources, Division of Historic Preservation and Archaeology. Attendees are
encouraged to
bring Paleoindian artifacts from the region. For further information,
please
contact Kelly McCaque at (260) 426-2882.
February 19, 2006 Update
The IPFW Archaeological Survey has received notification of
three new grant awards from the Indiana Department of Natural
Resources, Division of Historic Preservation and Archaeology.
- Archaeological
Survey and Assessment of the Eighteenth Century French and Wea Town of
Kethtippecanunk (12-T-59), Tippecanoe County. Kethtippecanunk was an "important
town" that was home to French traders and Wea Indians in the late
1700s. IPFW’s work at Kethtippecanunk
began in summer 2005 but we still know little about the site and its
inhabitants. Work scheduled for the 2006 field season includes an
extensive shovel probe survey and remote sensing to help us better
understand the location of the
artifacts and possible structures. We will also focus on the excavation
of a probable French trader’s structure that was located during IPFW’s
work
at the site in 2005. This structure yielded many eighteenth century
artifacts
(e.g., bottles, nails, gun and lock parts, a trade ring) and promises
to
give us greater insight into a little-known period in Indiana’s
history.
- Early Footprints in the Kankakee Sand:
Late Pleistocene and Early Holocene Cultural Dynamics in
Northwestern Indiana. The Survey recieved a grant to expand our collection,
analysis,
and dissemination of Paleoindian
data to include the northwestern portion of the state. The
2006-2007 work will include continued survey, public outreach,
documentation and analysis of private artifact collections, and
database consolidation and enhancement activities for counties in the
Kankakee Marsh basin in northwestern Indiana. Individuals
with knowledge of Paleoindian sites or artifacts from northern Indiana
are encouraged
to contact Andy White at (260) 481-4183 (email whitea@ipfw.edu).
- Public
Archaeology at Strawtown Koteewi Park. This grant will provide
funding for continued publicly accessible excavations at the Strawtown Enclosure
site during Archaeology Month (September 2006), as well as funds to
nominate the Strawtown enclosure (12-H-883) to the National Register of
Historic Places.
January 4, 2006 Update
The final
report of excavations at the Clark's Point site (12-Cl-3) is now
available online (IPFW-AS ROI 302).
Updated details of the 2006 REU program in
are now also available. The NSF-sponsored
Undergraduate
Research in Application of Geophysical Methods to the Archaeology
of Late Prehistoric Central Indiana program is in its second
year as an eight-week training and research course. The
curriculum will revolve around the use of geophysical instruments
(magnetometer, resistivity meter, and ground penetrating radar) and the
application of geophysical data to archaeological problems.
Undergraduate students selected for the course will receive a $2400
stipend. Application
materials and a description of the project are available here. For best consideration, please apply by
February 28, 2006.
December 1, 2005 Update
At the invitation of the Little Turtle Archaeological
Research Society, Andy White will give a public presentation entitled "Early
Hunter-Gatherers in Northeastern Indiana: Data, Guesses, and Ideas"
at the Peabody Public Library in Whitley County, Indiana. The
presentation will be on December 4th at 2:00 p.m. The
library is located on State Road 205 just south of its junction with
U.S.30,
east of Columbia City. This presentation is part of the Northeastern
Indiana Paleoindian Project, supported in part by a grant from the
Indiana Department of Natural Resources, Division of Historic
Preservation and
Archaeology. Attendees are encouraged to bring Paleoindian
artifacts
or other prehistoric artifacts from the region. For further
information, please contact LTARS President Kris Richey at (260)
244-5931.
October 7, 2005 Update
Andy White will give a public presentation entitled "Early
Hunter-Gatherers
in Northeastern Indiana: Data, Guesses, and Ideas" at the
Warsaw
Public Library in Kosciusko County, Indiana. The presentation
will
be on October 17 at 6:00 p.m. The library is located at
310
East Main Street in Warsaw. This presentation is part of the Northeastern
Indiana Paleoindian Project. Attendees are encouraged to
bring Paleoindian artifacts from the region. For further
information, please contact Bill Wilson at (574) 491-2034.
September 13, 2005 Update
This year's public excavations at Strawtown
will begin on September 20 and run for three weeks, Tuesday through
Saturday.
Public education efforts
at Strawtown during September will be performed in cooperation with the
Hamilton
County Parks and Recreation Department. Members of the public
are welcome to visit the site during the excavations September 20-24,
September 27-October 1, and October 4-8. Accomodations for site visits
by groups can be made by contacting the Hamilton County Parks and
Recreation Department. Arrangements to participate in the
archaeological work at the site can be made by contacting Dr. Robert McCullough at
(260) 481-6892 (mccullor@ipfw.edu). A map to Strawtown is
available here.
Work continues on the Northeastern
Indiana Paleoindian Project. Excavations at the Arrowhead
Marsh
site (12-Al-2062) in southwestern Allen County and the Kosko site
(12-Ko-492) in Kosciusko County have identified what appear to be
intact, non-discrete deposits below plowzone. Analysis of
materials from these samples is underway. Field survey activities
this year will be focused
on defining previously reported Paleoindian sites in Whitley,
Kosciusko,
and Allen counties. Examination of collections will be focused in
Adams, Wells, and Huntington counties. Andy White will give public
presentations in DeKalb County on September 18th (3:00
p.m.,
DeKalb County Historical Society, Butler) and Kosciusko
County on October 17th (6:00 p.m., Kosciusko County
Archaeological
Society). Other public presentations will likely be scheduled in
the
near future.
Summary
information about some common Paleoindian tools from this region can be
found here.
Individuals with knowledge of Paleoindian
sites or artifacts from northeastern Indiana or northwestern Ohio are
encouraged to contact Andy White at (260) 481-4183 (email
whitea@ipfw.edu).
Archaeologists
from the IPFW-AS senior staff will give presentations and posters at
this
year's Midwest Archaeological Conference in Dayton, Ohio.
- Andrew A. White. Paleoindian Chronology in Northeastern
Indiana (poster). Paleoindian hafted biface forms with
ties to the Great Lakes, Ohio Valley/Southeast, and Plains occur in
northeastern Indiana. While Early Paleoindian (i.e., fluted)
points are most similar to those from the Great Lakes, Late Paleoindian
forms include regionally disparate types such as Hi-Lo, Agate Basin,
and Holcombe. Correspondence analysis of data from 122 finished
hafted bifaces suggests that these distinctive Late Paleoindian point
forms
are expressions of different stylistic/technological
trajectories. Viewed through the lens of a changing environment,
the data suggest that multiple shifts in regional populations and
subsistence patterns may have occurred in
northeastern Indiana around 10,500-9,500 RCYBP.
- Michael Strezewski. Investigations at
Kethtippecanunk, a Late Eighteenth Century French and Indian Town in
Tippecanoe County, Indiana. Kethtippecanunk (12-T-59) was
burned by the U.S. Army in 1791 as part of General Scott’s punitive
expedition against the Native American inhabitants of the Wabash
valley. Recent work by the IPFW Archaeological Survey has focused on
relocating the site, determining its extents,
and evaluating the integrity of the remains. Investigations consisted
of extensive geophysical survey and small-scale test excavations. The
probable remains of at least one French poteaux en terre structure were
located and additional intact structures are likely. Despite their
known
presence at the site, the archaeological presence of historic Native
American
peoples has proven more difficult to identify.
- Robert
McCullough and Andrew A. White. Overview of Research
Experiences for Undergraduates in Geophysical Survey at Strawtown
Koteewi Park. The Strawtown Koteewi Park in Hamilton County
in central Indiana has a rich inventory of Late Prehistoric sites,
including a large stockaded village and surrounding settlements of
Western Basin peoples, evidence of Oneota occupations, and the
Strawtown Enclosure, which is a Fort Ancient/Oliver phase village.
Archaeological investigations have been ongoing at the park since
2001 and have included geophysical survey since 2003. In 2005,
the
National Science Foundation funded a program of undergraduate student
research
at the park through Indiana University-Purdue University Fort Wayne to
continue
these investigations using a variety of geophysical survey techniques.
Student posters from the Summer
2005 Research Experience for Undergraduates will be presented in a
symposium at the Midwest Conference in Dayton, Ohio (October 2005):
- Cherlyn
Clark. Comparing the Accuracy of Three-Dimensional
Resistivity Data to Ground Penetrating Radar in Mapping Large
Subsurface Anomalies
- Tom
DeCola. Investigating the Ephemeral Pits
at 12-H-1057:
A Small Oneota-like Occupation at Strawtown, Hamilton County, Central
Indiana
- Joshua Engle. Can
Geophysical Methods Replace the Dozer? Testing Feature
Distribution with Magnetometry and Resistivity
- Kevin
Foster. Resistivity in 3D
- Colin
Graham. Using Ground Penetrating Radar and Resistivity to
Test a Model of Community Plan within the Strawtown Enclosure
- Josh
Herman. Effect
of Instrument Height and Pitch on Magnetic Survey Data Using a Geoscan
FM256
- Scott
Hipskind Geophysical Survey and Cultural
Exploration of Site 12-H-1052
- Ashley
Holmes. Using Magnetomery Data to Identify Stockade
Locations
- Julie
Smith. Developing a Model for Interpretation of
Geophysical Anomalies at 12-H-3
- Mariah
C. D. Yager. Ground Penetrating Radar as a Tool for
Shallow, High Resolution Subsurface
Mapping
March 7, 2005 Update
The IPFW Archaeological Survey has received notification of
two new grant awards from the Indiana Department of Natural
Resources, Division of Historic Preservation and Archaeology.
- Late
Paleoindian Interaction and Chronology at the Headwaters: A
Research, Public Education, and Data Enhancement Project.
The Survey recieved a grant for continued funding of the northeastern
Indiana Paleoindian
research and public outreach program. The 2005-2006 work will
include
continued survey, public outreach, documentation and analysis of
private
artifact collections, and database consolidation and enhancement
activities. Excavations will be conducted at two sites in the
region. One week of excavations in Allen County will be conducted
in conjunction with a family
archaeology day camp program to be administered by Science Central and the Fort Wayne Parks and Recreation
Department. Survey and collection analysis activities will be
expanded to include Adams, Wells, and Huntington counties. Individuals
with knowledge of Paleoindian sites or artifacts from northeastern
Indiana or northwestern Ohio are encouraged to contact Andy White at
(260) 481-6194 (email whitea@ipfw.edu).
- Geophysical,
Geoarchaeological, and Auger Survey at the Prather Archaeological Site
(12-Cl-4), Clark County, Indiana. The Survey recieved a
grant for continued research at the Prather site, a Mississippian mound
complex in southern Indiana. Research will be carried out jointly
with Cheryl Munson of Indiana University. Details about work at
Prather can be found here.
We have
receieved NSF notification of funding
for
the summer REU (Research Experience for Undergraduates) program. Undergraduate Research in Application of
Geophysical Methods to the Archaeology of Late Prehistoric Central
Indiana will run for three years as an eight-week training
and research course. The curriculum will revolve around the use
of geophysical instruments (magnetometer, resistivity meter, and ground
penetrating radar) and
the application of geophysical data to archaeological problems.
Undergraduate students selected for the course will receive a
stipend.
Application materials and a description of the project are available here. Deadline for application
is March 28, 2005.
Staff and students of the IPFW-AS will be presenting a
symposium of papers at this year's Central States Anthropological
Society meetings in Oxford, Ohio.
The symposium is entitled Recent
Archaeological Research at the Late Prehistoric Strawtown Site,
Hamilton
County, Indiana.
- Robert
G. McCullough. An
Overview of Archaeological Investigations at Strawtown, Hamilton
County, Indiana.
- Mariah C. D. Yager. Test Applicability of Using GPR to Detect
Subtle Linear Archaeological Features: The Search for Late
Prehistoric Fortifications.
- Andrew
A. White and Robert G. McCullough. Geophysical Survey and Excavation of a
Semi-subterranean structure at the Castor Farm site (12-H-3), a Late
Prehistoric Village in Central Indiana.
- Scott
D. Hipskind. Typological
Study of Projectile Points from Strawtown.
- Michael
Strezewski. Mortuary
Practices at the Castor Farm Site (12-H-3) within a Regional
Perspective.
- Anthony
J. Baker. Comparitive
Feature Analysis of the Strawtown and Clampitt Enclosures.
January 11, 2005 Update
The Archaeological Survey is looking forward to a busy year
in 2005. We have been notified of probable funding through the National Science Foundation
for a summer research and education program at Strawtown.
Assuming funding is awarded, the program, entitled Undergraduate Research in Application of
Geophysical Methods to the Archaeology of Late Prehistoric Central
Indiana, will run for three years as an eight-week training
and research course. The curriculum will revolve around the use
of geophysical instruments (magnetometer, resistivity meter, and ground
penetrating radar) and
the application of geophysical data to archaeological problems.
Undergraduate students selected for the course will receive a
stipend.
Application materials and a description of the project are available here.
The Survey has applied for funding for two projects this
year
through the Historic Preservation Fund administered by the Indiana Department of Natural
Resources, Division of Historic Preservation and Archaeology:
- Late Paleoindian Interaction
and Chronology at the Headwaters: A Research, Public Education,
and Data Enhancement Project for Northeastern Indiana.
- Geophysical, Geoarchaeological, and Auger
Survey at the Prather Archaeological Site (12-Cl-4), Clark County, Indiana
Funding decisions on these grant applications are expected
in
late January of 2005.
All four archaeologists on the IPFW-AS's senior staff gave
presentations at this year's combined Midwest/Southeast Archaeological
Conference in St. Louis:
- Robert
G. McCullough and Andrew A. White. Preliminary report of excavations at the
Late Prehistoric Castor Farm village site (12-H-3) in central Indiana.
The ten acre Castor Farm site is an intensively occupied Late Woodland
village (AD 1050-1250, 2 sigma) located about 20 miles north of
Indianapolis along the White River. Excavations and geophysical
surveys conducted in 2003 and 2004 revealed numerous wall post
structures, pits, hearths, burials, semisubterranean structures, and a
palisade wall. Located only 200 meters from the later Strawtown
enclosure (AD 1200-1400, 2
sigma), which is also palisaded, the Castor Farm site represents an
essential link for the ethnogenetic incorporation of a Great Lakes
population
with newly arriving Middle Fort Ancient people to form the Oliver phase
of central Indiana.
- Andrew
A. White. Variability
in a Paleoindian Hafted Biface Assemblage from Northeastern Indiana
(poster). The Kosko site (12-Ko-67/492) is an extensive,
multicomponent lithic scatter located on a large sand hill/moraine
complex overlooking the bottoms of the Tippecanoe River in Kosciusko
County, Indiana. Forty-four finished Paleoindian hafted bifaces
and hafted biface fragments were identified among the materials in a
private collection from the site. Gainey, Barnes, Holcombe, and
Agate Basin-like points are present. Morphological and metric
trends recognized among Great Lakes Paleoindian point forms are
well-expressed in the assemblage.
- Michael
Strezewski. Examining
the Cultural Categories of Personhood in Mississippian Society. This study seeks to
understand how “personhood” was defined in Mississippian society, using
a sample of 841 burials from eight mortuary sites in the central Illinois
River
valley. Some marine shell items and other grave goods were interred
almost exclusively with
individuals younger than 6 to 8 years, while other grave goods were
included only with adults and older juveniles. Ethnohistoric evidence
from the Plains and elsewhere suggests that a change in social status
occurred at about 6 to 8 years of age, a fact which may account for
the patterning noted in the sample.
- Sarah Surface-Evans. Shell Mound Archaic Cultural
Landscapes: A View from the Falls of the Ohio River Region of
Indiana. Currently,
there is no unified theory concerning the role of shell midden sites in
the emergence of complexity among Archaic hunter-gatherers. This
is due in part to the tremendous variability in size, structure, and
contents of shell midden sites. Using Archaic shell middens in
Falls of the Ohio
region as a case-study, the cultural and
environmental contexts of these locales are explored from a landscape
perspective with the aid of Geographic Information
Systems (GIS). Preliminary results of analyses suggest that there are
common landscape characteristics shared by shell midden locales, which
may be used to model site use and development.
- Cheryl
Ann Munson and Robert G. McCullough. Prather Site (12-CL-4), Clark County,
Indiana: The 2003 Baseline Survey. The Prather site in
the central Ohio Valley is a little known Mississippian mound center
situated on the northeastern frontier of Mississippian influence and in
the uplands near Jeffersonville, Indiana. In 2003, a baseline
archaeological survey was carried out to map the site's topography,
identify the range and distribution of artifact types, assess site
size, integrity, and
structure, and provide a foundation for future
investigations.
Soil profiles in auger samples combined with the distribution of
artifacts indicate a central plaza surrounded by four mounds, a core
residential area, a possible palisade wall, and peripheral
Mississippian activity areas or habitations.
September 13, 2004 Update
This year's public excavations at Strawtown
will begin on September 14 and run for three weeks, Tuesday through
Saturday.
Dedication of the newly-completed Taylor Nature Center (housing a
curation facility, laboratory, office, and classroom facilities).
Public education efforts at Strawtown during September will be
performed in cooperation with the Hamilton
County Parks and Recreation Department. Members of the public
are welcome to visit the site during the excavations September 14-18,
September 21-25, and September 28-October 2. Accomodations for site
visits by groups can be made by contacting the Hamilton County Parks
and Recreation Department. Arrangements to participate in the
archaeological work at the site can be made by contacting Dr. Robert McCullough at
(260) 481-6892 (mccullor@ipfw.edu). A map to Strawtown is
available here.
Work continues on the Northeastern
Indiana Paleoindian Project. Numerous previously unreported
or under-reported Paleoindian tools have been documented, a GIS
database of Paleoindian site locations in Allen, Whitley, and Kosciusko
counties has been assembled, and field survey efforts are
underway. Public response and participation has been good.
Summary information about some common Paleoindian tools from this
region can be found here. Individuals
with knowledge of Paleoindian sites or artifacts from northeastern
Indiana or northwestern Ohio are encouraged to contact Andy White at
(260) 481-6194 (email whitea@ipfw.edu).
February 9, 2004 Update
The IPFW Archaeological Survey has received notification of
two new grant awards from the Indiana Department of Natural
Resources, Division of Historic Preservation and Archaeology.
- Late
Prehistoric Households and the Archaeology of the Frontier
The Survey recieved a grant for continued funding of the IPFW-AS
archaeological field school
at the Castor Farm
site (May-June 2004) and continued publically-accessible excavations at
the Strawtown
Enclosure site during Archaeology Month (September 2004).
Both excavations will take place at Strawtown
Koteewi Park in Hamilton County, Indiana.
- Paleoindian
Dynamics in Northeastern Indiana The Survey recieved a
grant for a new program of Paleoindian research and public outreach in
northeastern Indiana. The project will be focused in Allen,
Kosciusko, and Whitley counties. Project activities will include
traditional field survey, geophysical survey, analysis of private
artifact collections, database consolidation, GIS modelling, and public
presentations. Individuals with knowledge of Paleoindian
sites or artifacts from northeastern Indiana or northwestern Ohio are
encouraged to contact Andy White at (260) 481-6194 (email
whitea@ipfw.edu).
The Survey now has three major
geopysical instruments (ground penetrating radar, magnetometer, and
resistivity meter), and will be using all three for large-scale mapping
of the
Castor Farm site this spring. Collection and publication of this
geophysical data has been funded by an internal grant from Indiana
University. The data will be ground-truthed during the IPFW-AS
field school, and will be used to make statements about the internal
structure of this large
and complex site.
September 10, 2003 Update
Final preparations for this year's public excavations at Strawtown
are underway. Public education efforts at Strawtown during September will
be performed in cooperation with the Hamilton
County Parks
and Recreation Department. Members of the public are welcome
to
visit the site during the excavations September 16-20, September 23-27,
and
September 30-October 3. Accomodations for site visits by groups can be
made
by contacting the Hamilton County Parks and Recreation Department.
Arrangements to participate in the archaeological work at the site can
be made
by contacting Dr. Robert
McCullough at (260) 481-6892 (mccullor@ipfw.edu). A map to
Strawtown is available here.
In other news, National Science Foundation grant monies for
the purchase of a ground penetrating radar unit, a magnetometer, a soil
resistivity meter, and supporting computer equipment have been
officially approved. This is a major step for the IPFW-AS and for
IPFW,
and we look forward to incorporating this sophisticated equipment into
our research and education efforts as soon as possible.
All three archaeologists on the IPFW-AS's senior staff will
be presenting papers at this years Midwest Archaeological
Conference in Milwaukee (October 16-19):
- Robert
G. McCullough and Andrew A. White. Structure and development of the Late
Prehistoric Strawtown enclosure and village in Central Indiana.
The Strawtown vicinity, located about 25 miles north of Indianapolis,
represents the overlapping peripheries of three distinct cultural
traditions: later Woodland associated with the western Lake Erie Basin,
Anderson
Phase Fort Ancient, and Oneota. One of the sites at Strawtown
is an extant enclosure with an exterior ditch. The development
of the exterior ditch and enclosure reflects these changing peripheral
alignments. The structure of the village within the enclosure
also
reflects its placement on a cultural borderland. The 2002
excavations indicated a changing morphology of the village and
enclosure during at least three occupations between AD 1200 and 1425.
- Michael
Strezewski. Prehistoric
Warfare at the Fisher Site, Will County, Illinois. The
south-southwest mound at the Fisher site was excavated by George
Langford in 1928 but never published. Recent re-examination of the
notes has revealed the
presence of a large pit containing disarticulated and partially
articulated
human remains. Scalpings and/or celt wounds on nearly all of the skulls
available for study indicate a probable massacre of at least 40
individuals.
Radiocarbon and fluorine assays date the massacre to between AD 1250
and
1275, in association with the Fisher/Langford occupation of the site.
This event occured during a period of cultural upheaval in the greater
Illinois region.
In addition, Dr.
McCullough will be presenting a paper at the SAA meetings in the spring:
- Robert
G. McCullough. Examining
Population Dynamics through Attribute Seriation: Implications for the
Late Prehistoric Oliver Phase of Indiana. A seriation
of
Oliver pottery attributes was used to chronologically arrange larger
habitation
sites in central and southern Indiana. Dating between 1200 and 1450 AD,
the
Oliver ceramic assemblage is distinguished by a wide diversity,
including
the co-occurrence of Great Lakes and Middle Fort Ancient forms and
motifs.
By observing selected attributes over time, the ethnogenesis and
development
of the Oliver phase from disparate groups is evident. With the temporal
placement
of Oliver sites from seriation, it is possible to assess the timing of
population
migrations and the levels of social risk through the presence of
stockades
and defensive embankments.
Andy White will be
giving a presentation at the History Center in
Fort Wayne (302 E. Berry) on September 21, 2:00 pm. The lecture
is
entitled The First Millennia:
Allen County and the Early Prehistory of Indiana, 10,000-6000 BC,
and will discuss the lifeways, technology, and social organization
of the Paleoindian and Early Archaic inhabitants of the region.
August 19, 2003 Update
2003 has been an exciting year thus far at the IPFW
Archaeological Survey. The Survey continues to expand its
research program
by focusing on interaction with IPFW students and the interested
public. We are currently working on a number of grant and CRM
projects, and are awaiting final approval of National Science
Foundation grant
monies for the purchase of several sophisticated remote sensing
instruments
to incorporate into our research and student education efforts.
- The Survey's upcoming
archaeological work and public education efforts at Strawtown during
the 2003 Indiana Archaeology Awareness Month in September will also be
supported by
an IDNR-DHPA grant. Public education efforts at Strawtown during
September will be performed in cooperation with the Hamilton
County Parks
and Recreation Department. Members of the public are welcome
to
visit the site during the excavations September 16-20, September 23-27,
and
September 30-October 3. Accomodations for site visits by groups
can
be made by contacting the Hamilton County Parks and Recreation
Department. Arrangements to participate in the archaeological
work at the site can be made by contacting Dr. Robert
McCullough at (260) 481-6892 (mccullor@ipfw.edu). A map to
Strawtown is
available here.
- The Survey is a joint
participant in a grant-supported archaeological work at the Prather site, a
Mississippian multiple mound site in Clark County, Indiana.
Preliminary fieldwork at Prather was completed in July.
Survey personnel will return to the site for several weeks in
October to complete the first year's fieldwork at this important,
relatively unknown site.
- The Survey is awaiting final
notification of the award of grant monies from the National Science
Foundation
for the purchase of a suite of remote sensing equipment (a
magnetometer, a resistivity meter, and a ground penetrating radar
unit). When acquired, this equipment will be used in the Survey's
ongoing research projects and will be available for student use and
instruction.
- We are pleased to announce the
addition of Michael
Strezewski to the IPFW-AS
staff. Mike will be teaching Archaeology of North America (ANTH
P360) in the spring semester. He recently defended his
disseration,
entitled "Mississippian Period Mortuary Practices in the Central
Illlinois
River Valley: A Region-Wide Survey and Analysis," at Indiana
University-Bloomington.
-
Papers authored by Mike Strezewski
and Andy White
appeared in the Spring 2003 issue of the Midcontinental Journal of
Archaeology. Mike's paper was entitled "Morton
Mound 14 and Mortuary Ceremonialism in the Central Illinois Valley."
Andy's paper was entitled "Temporal Variation in Late Middle Archaic
Bone
Pins."
April 2003 Update (Field School Announcement)
Anthropology P405
19 May – 27 June, 2003
Indiana-Purdue University
Fort Wayne will offer an archaeological field school during the first
summer session of 2003. The course carries six credit hours and
meets Monday through Friday from 8:00 am–6:00 pm. The curriculum
will focus on practical field experience, including archaeological
survey,
excavation techniques, and preparation of field documents.
Informal
lectures on various aspects of Indiana prehistory will provide students
with a basic background in the culture history of the region and the
proper
use of a variety of research methods and field techniques.
 The field school is an
integral part of the Archaeological Survey’s multi-year research
program focusing on population dynamics among the late prehistoric
farming communities that once occupied the river valleys in
Indiana. The course will be taught by Dr. Robert G.
McCullough and Andrew A. White
of the IPFW-Archaeological Survey. The excavation phase of the
field school will be conducted at a late prehistoric site (ca. A.D.
1000-1250) in the developing archaeological
heritage park at Strawtown,
Indiana. Investigations at late prehistoric sites in
south-central
Indiana by Dr. McCullough and Indiana University’s Glenn A. Black
Laboratory
of Archaeology have discovered prehistoric villages consisting of
households encircling a central plaza and enclosed within a
fortification wall,
or stockade. The current field season will be devoted to
establishing the cultural affiliation of a similar village site as well
as identifying its spatial limits, the period of its occupation, the
presence or absence of a stockade wall, and recovering material culture
from in situ contexts.
Field school participants will stay at the site Monday through Friday.
The IPFW-Archaeological Survey will provide transportation from
campus Monday morning and back to campus Friday evening; meals,
lodging, major field equipment, and most expendable supplies also will
be furnished. Students will be responsible for tuition and the
fees
assessed for six semester hours of credit and personal excavation
supplies
totaling about $35. Completion of an application
is required, and space is limited to fourteen students.
Applications and further information are available from either the
Anthropology department office (Kettler Hall G11A) or Dr. Robert G.
McCullough, IPFW Archaeological Survey, 2101 E. Coliseum Blvd., Fort
Wayne, Indiana 46805-1499. Phone: 260-481-6892. E-mail:
mccullor@ipfw.edu. FAX: 260-481-6880 (please put any
correspondence to Dr. McCullough’s attention).
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