Technical Report Archaeological
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TECHNICAL REPORT ARCHAEOLOGICAL INVESTIGATIONS HANOVER MARKETPLACE PROJECT AREA AREA 1 SITE (19-PL-749) AREA 2 SITE (19-PL-750) Hanover, Massachusetts William Begley Joseph N. Waller, Jr. Suzanne Cherau Submitted to: Carpionato Corporation 1414 Atwood Avenue Johnston, Rhode Island 02919 Submitted by: The Public Archaeology Laboratory, Inc. 26 Main Street Pawtucket, Rhode Island 02860 PAL Report No. 488 February 1998 (revised July 2013) PAL Publications CARTOGRAPHERS Dana M. Richardi/Jane Miller GIS SPECIALIST Jane Miller GRAPHIC DESIGN/PAGE LAYOUT SPECIALISTS Gail M. Van Dyke MANAGEMENT ABSTRACT PAL conducted archaeological site examinations of the Area 1 (19-PL-749) and Area 2 (19-PL-750) sites and archaeological data recovery at the Area 1 Site within the Hanover Marketplace in Hanover, Massachusetts. Recovery and analysis of the Area 1 Site’s archaeological content contributed to our knowledge of pre-contact Native American settlement, resource use, and technology in eastern Massachusetts. Archaeological investigations resulted in the recovery of a range of Early Archaic, Middle Archaic, Late Archaic, and Transitional pre-contact Native American cultural materials and the documentation of numerous archaeological features that included refuse pits, stone platforms/hearths, and lithic workshops. Cultural features were radiocarbon dated to the Middle Archaic (7740 ± 150 B.P.) and Late Archaic (4600 ± 90 B.P.; 3540 ± 80 B.P.; 3510 ± 90 B.P.; and 3290 ± 80 B.P.) Periods. Limited archaeological data indicates the site was only occasionally occupied for very brief periods of time during the Woodland Period. Archaeological data collected from the site during site examination and data recovery field investigations was useful for addressing research questions developed for the Hanover Marketplace project and to mitigate the effects that commercial construction would have on the Area 1 Site. i TABLE OF CONTENTS MANAGEMENT ABSTRACT .............................................................................................................. i 1. INTRODUCTION ........................................................................................................................... 1 Project History .................................................................................................................................. 1 Archaeological Data Recovery .......................................................................................................... 6 Project Personnel .............................................................................................................................. 7 Disposition of Project Data ................................................................................................................ 7 2. RESEARCH DESIGN .................................................................................................................... 8 Site Examination ............................................................................................................................... 8 Determining the basic attributes of the Area 1 and Area 2 sites .................................................... 8 Assessing the age or cultural affiliation of the Area 1 and Area 2 sites ......................................... 9 Studying lithic raw material use and assessing source areas ......................................................... 9 Examining wetland resource exploitation at the Area 1 and Area 2 sites ...................................... 9 Data Recovery Program .................................................................................................................. 10 Research Orientation and Questions .......................................................................................... 10 3. PHYSICAL ENVIRONMENT ..................................................................................................... 20 Current Environmental Setting ........................................................................................................ 20 Bedrock Geology ............................................................................................................................ 21 Soils ........................................................................................................................................... 21 Drainage Patterns ............................................................................................................................ 22 Postglacial Vegetative Sequence for Eastern Massachusetts ............................................................. 22 Vegetation Types ...................................................................................................................... 23 4. NATIVE AMERICAN LAND USE AND SETTLEMENT ......................................................... 25 PaleoIndian Period (13,000–10,000 B.P.) ........................................................................................ 25 The Archaic Period (10,000–3000 B.P.) .......................................................................................... 27 Early Archaic Period (10,000–7500 B.P.) .................................................................................. 27 Middle Archaic Period (7500–5000 B.P.) .................................................................................. 28 Late Archaic Period (5000–3000 B.P.) ...................................................................................... 29 Transitional/Terminal Archaic Period (3600–2500 B.P.) ........................................................... 30 The Woodland Period (3000–450 B.P.) ........................................................................................... 31 Early Woodland Period (3000–1600 B.P.) ................................................................................. 31 Middle Woodland Period (1600–1000 B.P.) .............................................................................. 31 Late Woodland Period (1000–450 B.P.) .................................................................................... 32 Contact Period (450 - 300 B.P.) ....................................................................................................... 33 5. METHODOLOG .......................................................................................................................... 35 Fieldwork Data Collection Techniques ............................................................................................ 35 Archaeological Site Examination .............................................................................................. 35 Archaeological Data Recovery Program - Area 1 Site ............................................................... 36 Laboratory Processing and Specialized Analyses ............................................................................. 37 Processing ................................................................................................................................ 37 Cataloguing .............................................................................................................................. 37 Specialized Analysis of Cultural Materials ................................................................................ 37 PAL Report No. 488 iii Table of Contents Curation .................................................................................................................................... 40 Public Education Component .................................................................................................... 40 6. RESULTS OF THE ARCHAEOLOGICAL INVESTIGATIONS .............................................. 42 Results of the Archaeological Site Examination ............................................................................... 42 Area 1 Site ................................................................................................................................ 42 Area 2 Site ................................................................................................................................ 50 Archaeological Data Recovery - Area 1 Site (19-PL-749) ................................................................ 50 S5W10 Concentration Area ....................................................................................................... 53 Northeast Quadrant Concentration Area .................................................................................... 66 Charcoal ................................................................................................................................... 94 7. RESULTS OF THE ARCHAEOLOGICAL STUDIES ............................................................... 97 Petrographic and Geochemical Analysis .......................................................................................... 97 Depositional History ....................................................................................................................... 98 Early Archaic Occupation ......................................................................................................... 99 Middle Archaic Occupation .................................................................................................... 100 Late Archaic Occupation ......................................................................................................... 101 Transitional Archaic Occupation ............................................................................................