Taber Well Site (33HO611): A Middle Woodland Habitation and Surplus Lithic Production Site in the Hocking Valley, Southeastern Ohio, The

Midcontinental Journal of Archaeology, Spring 2008 by Peoples, Nicole, Abrams, Elliot M, Freter, AnnCorinne, Jokisch, Brad, Patton, Paul E

These artifacts were classified according to chert types (Table 3). Local Upper Mercer chert was predominant. It is also referred to as Coshocton, of which there are several varieties embedded in parent limestone. Found throughout southeastern Ohio (De Regnaucourt and Georgiady 1998), Upper Mercer is available along Kitchen Run stream and adjacent tributaries (Figure 1) less than three km south of the site. Visual inspection alone served as the basis for identifying this as the source of Upper Mercer chert used at Taber Well. We collapsed Zaleski, a black chert resembling Upper Mercer, with Upper Mercer since our initial classification identified only 1.3 percent of lithic debitage as Zaleski. The 36,255.8 g of Upper Mercer chert from the site core represents 83.4 percent of the total chert by weight, with 27 percent by weight exhibiting evidence of heat treatment.

Vanport is the second most abundant chert type at Taber Well, accounting for 10.9 percent by weight of all debitage in the site core (Table 3). Vanport is a high quality flint with colorful hues and excellent knapability (De Regnaucourt and Georgiady 1998). The closest sources are outcrops along Monday Creek some eight km north of Taber Well (Murphy 1989). Heat treatment occurred on 27 percent by weight of the Vanport debitage.

Brush Creek chert is third in abundance (Table 3), with 1,952.1 g recovered at the site core, 23 percent of which was heat treated. Brush Creek outcrops throughout southeastern Ohio and is plentiful in streams near outcrops (De Regnaucourt and Georgiady 1998:38). The nearest outcrop of Brush Creek chert is some 30 km from the site (Murphy 1989), although waterbome nodules can be found scattered in more nearby waterways. An unknown and quite minor source resembling a Cedarville chert or extremely weathered Brush Creek also was noted (Table 3).

Lithic Tools

Tools included points, scrapers, utilized flakes, drills, bladelets, and preforms (Tables 4 and 5). Of the 20 points, 16 were assignable to a general chronological period: one is assigned to the Early Archaic, eight to the Late Archaic, three to the Early Woodland, two to the Middle Woodland, and two possibly to the Late Woodland period (Figure 6, Table 4; based on Justice 1987). Since the three radiometric dates were Early to Middle Woodland, the bladelets are assigned as Middle Woodland (Figure 6), and the two possible Lowe duster points (Late Woodland) are tentative identifications. We define the primary site occupation as Late Archaic through Middle Woodland, typical of site occupation in the Hocking Valley (Abrams and Fr�ter 2005e.)

Ground Stone Artifacts

As stated, ground stone tools also were recovered at Taber Well (Table 6). A % grooved axe (Figure 6), a hammerstone, and two celts and were recovered from Unit 13. The � grooved axe is first evidenced in the Late Archaic period (Murphy 1989). Other ground stone artifacts from the site core included sandstone nutting stones and granite hammerstones. The presence of a diverse set of tools at this small site indicates processing of foods, working of lithics, and clearing of trees. Although not technically ground stone artifacts, FCR was widely distributed across the entire excavated site core.