Preface

Midcontinental Journal of Archaeology, Spring 2009 by Greber, N'omi B

Seip Earthworks, located in a bend of Paint Creek some 20 miles southwest of Chillicothe, indude a large complex geometric enclosure, a small circle, at least 30 small and large mounds, and other archaeological cultural features (Greber 1995). An outline of parts of the major walls is shown on the 1976 aerial photograph (Frontispiece). Note the size of the enclosures compared to the High School running track. Six football playing fields would fit within the square enclosure. From 1971 through 1977, Ohio Historical Society (OHS) excavations in die portion of the earthworks included in Seip Mound State Memorial revealed the remains of seven mantled structures located midway between the reconstructed circular wall and the reconstructed Seip-Pricer Mound (Baby and Langlois 1979). In the Frontispiece, the site of Structure 5 can be seen next to the fence that separated state land from private farm land to the west (see also Figure 2.1). The hypothesized uses, made in an early publication, of these structures as craft houses have been widely accepted despite the limited accompanying excavation details (Baby and Langlois 1979). No full excavation report was completed. The texts of preliminary field reports (without the figures referenced in the text) have had limited circulation (Baby and Langlois 1977a, 1977b, 1977c).

In 2000 Martha Otto, as part of her work as Curator of Archaeology at OHS, began reorganizing the Seip 1971 through 1977 field records in the departmental archives. Anne Lee has expertise and experience in faunal analysis and interest in OHS collections. I have had a long time interest in Seip Earthworks. We joined forces and presented the first stage of a review of the archived records and materials in 2002 (Greber, Otto, and Lee). The expertise of our additional co-authors (Katharine Ruhl, Dawn Walter Gagliano, Packard Yerkes, DeeAnne Wymer, and Jarrad Burks) has enabled more complete technical reviews (Greber et al. 2004, 2006). Our review has convinced us that based on the excavation data, one cannot assign mica cutting to Structure 1, or bead manufacture to Structure 2, or fabric preparation to any structure, or the making of any ritual or everyday object to any structure. These were not places where artisans left their tools and manufacturing debris near their work stations. Nor did they neady fill trash pits with work debris. This conclusion is based on site stratigraphy and the context and condition of artifacts recovered. These structures and their immediate environs were clearly special places, as seen by the care taken to dismantle each structure then deliberately cover each space with one or more strata, to form low mounds about two feet high. The source of the mande was a mix of natural soils that incidentally included artifacts or culturally modified materials such as burnt wood. Likely some of the suggested craft work took place nearby, but we still do not know exactly where.

The following chapters present in detail the basis for our conclusions. We present such detail so that readers can judge for themselves whether or not the data support the original hypothesis. We begin with a review by Otto of the Ohio Historical Society field work at Seip including that work immediately preceding the 1971 excavations. Sections follow on site stratigraphy and chronology (Greber), faunal remains (Lee), ceramics (Ruhl), lithics (Walter Gagliano), microwear analyses (Yerkes), ethnobotanical remains (Wymer), features (Burks and Greber), and a final summary (Greber). The curated collections provided the data on which we have formed our interpretations. Thanks to the work of earlier archaeologists and the care of museum curators, we were able to begin our research viewing cumulative records of seven field seasons.

References Cited

Baby, R S. and S. M. Langlois

1977a Archaeological Investigations at Seip Mound State Memorial 1971-1974. Report on File, Archives, Department of Archaeology, Ohio Historical Society, Columbus, Ohio.

1977b Archaeological Investigations at Seip Mound State Memorial 1975. Report on File, Archives, Department of Archaeology, Ohio Historical Society, Columbus, Ohio.

1977c Archaeological Investigations at Seip Mound State Memorial 1976. Report on File, Archives, Department of Archaeology, Ohio Historical Society, Columbus, Ohio.

1979 Seip Mound State Memorial: Nonmortuary Aspects of Hopewell. In Hopewell Archaeology: The Chillicothe Conference, edited by David Brose and N'orni Greber, pp. 16-18. The Kent State University Press, Kent, Ohio.

Greber, N.

1995 Some Archaeological Localities Recorded in the Seip Earthworks and Dill Mounds Historic District. Hopewell Culture National Historical Park. Report submitted to the Midwest Archaeological Center, Lincoln, Nebraska and Hopewell Culture National Historical Park, Copy on file at the Hopewell Culture National Historical Park, Chillicothe, Ohio.

Greber, N. B., M. P. Otto and A. B. Lee

2002 Revisiting the Structures Recorded Within the Seip Earthworks, Ross County, Ohio. Paper presented at 48th Annual Midwest Archaeological Conference Plenary Session, Columbus, Ohio.