Archaeological Investigations of the Evans Site, Montgomery County
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ARCHAEOLOGICAL INVESTIGATION OF THE EVANS SITE, MONTGOMERY COUNTY, KENTUCKY By Eric J. Schlarb and David Pollack With contributions by Jack Rossen Melissa L. Ramsey Kentucky Archaeological Survey Research Report No. 12 Jointly Administered by: The University of Kentucky Department of Anthropology and The Kentucky Heritage Council Lexington, Kentucky Report Prepared for: Mr. Daniel B. Davis Division of Environmental Analysis, Kentucky Transportation Cabinet 200 Mero Street, Frankfort, KY 40622 2016 Kentucky Archaeological Survey The Kentucky Archaeological Survey is jointly administered by the Kentucky Heritage Council (State Historic Preservation Office) and the University of Kentucky Department of Anthropology. Its mission is to provide a service to other state agencies, to work with private landowners to protect archaeological sites, and to educate the public about Kentucky’s rich archaeological heritage. Kentucky Heritage Council The mandate of the Kentucky Heritage Council is to identify, preserve, and protect the cultural resources of Kentucky. The Council also maintains continually updated inventories of historic structures and archaeological sites and nominates properties to the National Register of Historic Places. By working with other state and federal agencies, local communities, and interested citizens, the Council seeks to build a greater awareness of Kentucky’s past and to encourage the long-term preservation of Kentucky’s significant cultural resources. Through its various programs (e.g., Main Street, Grants, Publications, Rural Preservation, Civil War Initiative, Conferences), the Council strives to show how historic resources contribute to the heritage, economy, and quality of life of all Kentuckians. University of Kentucky Department of Anthropology The University of Kentucky Department of Anthropology has a mission to educate students and promote scholarly research in the field of archaeology. The Department also is charged by state law with enforcing and administering the State Antiquities Act, which prohibits the destruction of archaeological sites on state and municipal lands. It maintains comprehensive inventory files and records on archaeological sites in the Commonwealth through the Office of State Archaeology, and supports the major state curation repository for archaeological collections (the William S. Webb Museum of Anthropology). ii ACKNOWLEDGMENTS We would like to thank the Kentucky Transportation Cabinet for the opportunity to work on this project. We are most appreciative of the field crew (Wes Stoner, Edward Henry, Brian Mabelitini, Carrell Rush, Emily Swintosky, Gabrielle Paschall, Brett Coffey, Megan Jones, A. Gwynn Henderson, and Greg Maggard) for their diligent fieldwork and to backhoe operator Gary Sorrell who made our job a lot easier. A special thanks to Peter Killoran for identifying the human remains and Bruce Manzano for identifying the faunal remains. Thanks to Hayward Wilkirson for producing some of the graphics, and for Chris Gunn and Marcie Venters who provided editorial assistance. Finally, a special thanks to former administrative staff Ed Winkle and Barbara Gortman, and Daniel Davis for his patience as we worked on completing this report. iii TABLE OF CONTENTS Acknowledgments.............................................................................................................. iii List of Tables ..................................................................................................................... vi List of Figures ................................................................................................................... vii Chapter One: Introduction .................................................................................................. 1 KAS Investigations ................................................................................................. 2 Environmental Setting ............................................................................................ 3 Overview ................................................................................................................. 5 Chapter Two: Culture Historical Background ................................................................... 6 Adena\Hopewell ..................................................................................................... 6 Previous Adena Research ....................................................................................... 8 Summary ............................................................................................................... 12 Chapter Three: Field Methods ......................................................................................... 13 Chapter Four: Chpped Stone ............................................................................................ 14 Introduction ........................................................................................................... 14 Analytical Methods ............................................................................................... 14 Formal Chipped Stone Tools ................................................................................ 15 Informal Chipped Stone Tools .............................................................................. 19 Other Chipped Stone ............................................................................................. 20 Debitage ................................................................................................................ 22 Chipped Stone Raw Material ................................................................................ 25 Summary ............................................................................................................... 26 Chapter Five: Groundstone and Mica .............................................................................. 28 Groundstone .......................................................................................................... 28 Mica ...................................................................................................................... 30 Discussion ............................................................................................................. 31 Chapter Six: Ceramics and Non-Vessel Clay Objects ..................................................... 32 Introduction ........................................................................................................... 32 Methodology ......................................................................................................... 32 Artifact Descriptions ............................................................................................. 33 Summary ............................................................................................................... 39 Chapter Seven: Archaeobotanical Remains ...................................................................... 40 Introduction ........................................................................................................... 40 Methods................................................................................................................. 40 Preservation........................................................................................................... 42 Wood Charcoal ..................................................................................................... 43 Plant Food Remains .............................................................................................. 44 Summary ............................................................................................................... 49 Chapter Eight: Results ...................................................................................................... 51 KAS Investigation ................................................................................................. 55 Blocks ................................................................................................................... 63 Chapter Nine: Site Organization ...................................................................................... 65 Introduction ........................................................................................................... 65 Pits......................................................................................................................... 66 Posts ...................................................................................................................... 92 Adena Use of Clay in Mortuary Rituals ............................................................... 95 iv Ritual Feasting ...................................................................................................... 97 Summary ............................................................................................................. 101 Chapter Ten: Summary and Conclusions ....................................................................... 102 Conclusion .......................................................................................................... 103 References Cited ............................................................................................................. 104 v LIST OF TABLES Table 4-1. Flake Types Recovered from the Evans Site. ................................................. 24 Table 4-2. Chipped Stone Raw Material Types and Frequencies .................................... 26 Table 6-1. Ceramic Assemblage .....................................................................................