Early Woodland Upland Encampments of Central Ohio

Midcontinental Journal of Archaeology, Fall 2007 by Keener, Craig S, Nye, Kevin

Abstract Most published studies of the Early Woodland period (1000 B.C.-200 B.C.) in Ohio have traditionally focused on the mortuary/ceremonial aspects (e.g. mounds) of the latter half of this time period. Less energy, however, has been devoted to nonmortuary sites, such as those that appear in the uplands as surface lithic scatters. In the past decade archaeological studies in central Ohio have yielded a rapidly growing amount of information concerning upland Early Woodland sites. In this article we compare and contrast variability in site structure, flint acquisition and stone tool production, diet, ceramic attributes, and radiocarbon dates from three central Ohio upland sites: President's Club, 33LI183, and McCauley. Together, these data reveal an emerging pattern of upland site use during the Early Woodland period in central Ohio.

The Early Woodland period (1000 B.C-200 B.C.) in Ohio is set apart from the Late Archaic by an intensification of mortuary practices and the construction of mounds, an increase in the importation of exotic raw materials used in the production of burial/ritual objects, greater use of ceramic vessels, and the use of domesticated cultigens such as chenopodium, maygrass, knotweed, sumpweed, and sunflower (Dragoo 1976; Fritz 1988; Lepper 2005; Smith 1995; Wymer and Abrams 2003). The increasing reliance on pottery suggests that there is an important shift in subsistence strategy during this period, one more focused on food processing and perhaps storage, and it is likely indicative of the increasingly important role of gathering wild and "managed" plant foods.

In the middle Ohio River Valley, archaeological research has traditionally focused on mortuary complexes and mound-related sites (e.g., Abrams 1992; Aument 1990; Baby 1971; clay 1986; Dragoo 1976; Fowke 1902; Greber 1991; Greenman 1932; Hays 1994; Mainfort 1989; McMichael and Mairs 1969; Mills 1901, 1917; Seeman 1986; Shetrone 1920, 1931; Shryock 1987; Swartz 1971; Waldron and Abrams 1999; Webb and Baby 1957; Webb and Snow 1974). Far less research has taken place at habitation or upland sites. In the 1980s Seeman (1986:576) presented some preliminary information on several upland Early Woodland sites (Hoffaker and William H. Davis sites) in Ohio in his critique on Adena "houses." More current research (Abrams 1989, 1992; Carskadden and Morton 1997; Crowell et al. 2005; Seeman 1992; Wymer and Abrams 2003), has focused on domestic sites considered possible hamlets or homesteads located along the valley floors of the Hocking River or along the Muskingum River drainages.

The recent excavations at three upland Early Woodland sites (President's Club, 33LI183, and McCauley) provide important new information on upland encampments in central Ohio (Keener and Nye 2005a, 2005b; Keener and Pecora 2005). These sites appear to represent short term occupations that approximate small sized residential camps. The artide summarizes the results of the excavations and provides an emerging pattern of Early Woodland upland site occupation in the central Ohio region.

Study Area

The three sites are located on secondary drainages of the Olentangy River, South Fork of the Ucking River, and Rush Creek (Figure 1). These drainages are feeder streams to the Sdoto, Hocking and Muskingum Rivers that flow into the middle Ohio River Valley. None of the sites are located on the valley floors of their respective drainages but rather are situated on upland landforms at a distance from the actual stream valley floor or edge In the case of President's Club and McCauley they are located on toe ridge landforms flanked by unnamed intermittents at a distance of over one km (.6 mi) from the main drainage valley. Site 33U183 is located on a glacial hummock on a relativdy flat ground moraine of the Late Wisconsinan gladal period (Pavey et al. 1999). An unnamed intermittent stream is situated within 305 m (1000 ft) of the site that is located 1.5 km (.9 mi) from the South Fork of the Licking River. Table 1 provides basic environmental and physical data related to the sites.

Each of these sites contained other temporal components in their assemblages, but dated features were primarily or exdusively assodated with the Early Woodland period. Table 2 lists temporally diagnostic point types or lithic artifacts recovered at Presidents Club, McCauley, and 33LI183. Each of the sites had intensive Phase III mitigation excavations that were performed by Professional Archaeological Services Team and/or Ohio Valley Archaeology, Inc. These excavations resulted in the recovery of significant artifact assemblages through use of controlled surface collection transects, test unit excavation, intensive geophysical survey, and/or exposure of large portions of the subsurface through mechanical plow zone removal (Keener and Nye 2005a, 2005b; Keener and Pecora 2005). These investigations resulted in the recovery of a substantial amount of information. Table 3 lists key information concerning the various assemblages and features identified at the individual sites.