Abstracts and Schedule of Events, IAS Meeting, October 5th, Carbondale Saturday, October 5, 2013 Paper and Poster Schedule/Abstracts 57st IAS Annual Meeting Guyon Auditorium Morris Library, SIU-Carbondale 7:30-8:00 - Registration 8:00-9:00 – IAS Business Meeting 1. 9:00-9:15 - (Re)Introducing Eastern Kincaid—the Mounds We Never Talk About Brian M. Butler (SIU Carbondale) Abstract Discussions of the Kincaid site invariably focus on the western or Massac County portion of the site, which has been the scene of nearly all the fieldwork undertaken at the site. The privately-owned eastern portion of the site, in Pope County, represents about one third of the total palisaded area and has its own groups of mounds. Very little excavation was done on that portion of the site and it remains largely off limits to archaeologists, so little is known about it. This presentation summarizes the available information on this intriguing part of Kincaid, which exhibits organizational complexity comparable to that of the western mound group, albeit with smaller mounds compressed into a smaller space. 2. 9:15-9:30 - Kincaid Mounds Archaeological Field School: Excavations in the Plaza David Birnbaum (SIU Anthropology) Abstract One of the principal goals of the 2013 field school at the Kincaid site was to further investigate a large magnetic anomaly in the Plaza area. During the previous field season this anomaly was confirmed to be the remnants of a large, burned building. These prior investigations first discovered the unusual architectural aspects of this building and revealed that it was constructed on top of a ca. 20-cm-thick layer of fill. This summer we documented additional floor features associated with this building including linear insertion and extraction ramps associated with the large interior posts. Additionally, we identified architectural features within the layer of fill beneath the floor, suggesting that an earlier construction phase took place at this location. This paper will discuss current interpretations of the architecture and the chronology of this area in the Kincaid Plaza, and will pose some issues and puzzles that remain to be addressed by further archaeological fieldwork in this portion of the Kincaid site. 3. 9:30-9:45 – Explorations on the Douglas Mound, a portion of the Kincaid Mounds site in southernmost Illinois. Meadow Campbell (SIU Anthropology) Abstract Excavations during the 2013 field season on Douglas Mound, a portion of the Kincaid Mounds State Historic site in southernmost Illinois, worked to define the lateral extent of the mound to better manage agricultural use of the area. Building on excavations in 2012, this paper reviews the artifacts and stratigraphy unearthed on the mound during ongoing archaeological field school excavations. The Douglas Mound was confirmed to be a low platform mound constructed in two stages – one very low and expansive, and another located more centrally on the mound. Both stages of the mound were constructed during the late to terminal phases of occupation at the Kincaid site (ca 1450 AD), overlying houses and other structures that occupied the area prior to mound construction. The Douglas Mound is estimated to be over 3,600 square meters in lateral extent. One noteworthy find is a seven-fingered effigy arm and several other late-Kincaid diagnostic artifacts and faunal remains. Historic use of the mound will also be discussed, as it pertains directly to the shallow mound fill deposits encountered in the area. Recommendations to minimize agricultural disturbance will also be revisited. 4. 9:45-10:00 - The Stone Forts and Walls of Southern Illinois Mark Motsinger (Carrier Mills/Stonefort High School) Abstract This paper is a summary of the stone forts/walls of southern Illinois. As the History teacher at Carrier Mills/Stonefort High School, I was amazed at how many of the students had never been to, or knew anything about, the old wall that gave one of the towns in our school district its name. I began teaching about the walls in both my U.S. History and Illinois History class, and each year we took a field trip to one of them. As I began to gather information for class, a renewed interest began to develop that had originally been stirred years before and I began to look into the other stone walls in the region. The paper summarizes as well as looks at the history of research over the years associated with these stone walls. 5. 10:10-10:15 - Reaching Out: Public Archaeology and Heritage Outreach in Southern Illinois. Paige Hawthorne (Americcorps Vista, Shawnee National Forest) Abstract The Shawnee National Forest (USFS) Heritage Program strives to educate the public regarding the importance of the past and how we recover and interpret the remains of the past (the processes of archaeology). In order to gain support and care for archaeological heritage resources, our goal has been to expose the public to the archaeological legacy that lies in Southern Illinois. Our efforts through partnerships with Americorps VISTA (Volunteers in Service to America) and Friends of the Shawnee National Forest have provided opportunities for the community to engage in public archaeology workshops and programs in order gain appreciation, enthusiasm and stewardship for Illinois’ heritage resources, especially in the unique region of Southern Illinois This paper highlights the programs we have initiated during the past couple of years, the benefits of community outreach and public education, and future approaches to community appreciation for archaeology and heritage resources. 10:15-10-30 – BREAK 6. 10:30-10:45 – Planes, Trains, Automobiles, and Bikes: Investigations for Recent IDOT Projects Brad H. Koldehoff (Chief Archaeologist, Illinois Department of Transportation) In this paper archaeological investigations for recent Illinois Department of Transportation projects across the state will be summarized. Major projects, like the proposed Illiana expressway and High-Speed Rail will be highlighted, as will the results of recent Phase III excavations. 7. 10:45-11:00 Current Research on the Cherokee Trail of Tears in Southern Illinois Mark J. Wagner (SIUC-CAI) Mary R. McCorvie (SNF) Heather Carey (SNF) During 1837-1839 over 10,00 Cherokee traveled through southern Illinois as part of their forced emigration from their homes in the east to new lands located west of the Mississippi River. Over the past year SIU and SNF archaeologists have conducted archaeological investigations at three sites located along the Trail of Tears to search for remains associated with that year using funding provided by the Forest Service and the Illinois Historic Preservation Agency (IHPA). During that same time SIU researchers conducted archival research to create a planning document identifying the types and locations of cultural properties such as taverns, campgrounds, stores, cemeteries, and other facilities once located along the Trail of Tear routes as part of a study conducted for the National Park Service (NPS). 8. 11:00-11:15 - Transforming Nineteenth-century Archives into Twenty-first Century Analysis: A Case Study on the Trail of Tears in Southern Illinois Kayeleigh Sharpe (SIU Anthropology, SIU-CAI) Abstract The quantity and variety of data available to archaeologists continues to expand. Managing these resources is a critical concern as Geographical Information System (GIS) becomes an ever more standardized tool for contemporary research. This paper discusses the novel methodology implemented in our recent research on the Trail of Tears in Southern Illinois. Combining archival data from the 1830s consisting primarily of licenses issued for businesses such as taverns and groceries or liquor sales, census data, land tract sales, personal recollections and historical maps, with the latest in GIS technology and resources proved highly successful. While it is known that the Cherokee experienced extreme hardships including a severe winter and food shortages when they traveled through Illinois, the study carried out by the Center for Archaeological Investigations at Southern Illinois University Carbondale (CAI-SIUC) offers new insights into the ways that the Cherokee may have been able to survive and interact with local settlers. Our GIS approach was useful for reconstructing various aspects of the cultural and environmental setting, including the location of businesses (mills, stores, taverns, ferries, and bars) and landforms such as natural springs that might have been used when the Cherokee passed through Southern Illinois between 1838 and 1839. 9. 11:15-11:30 - Sorting Out the Past: Making Sense of the Cobden Museum Skeletons Ryan M Campbell (SIU Anthropology) Abstract During the middle part of the twentieth-century, amateur archaeologists, Joe and Charles Thomas, along with a small crew, collected prehistoric Native American artifacts and burials from the southern Illinois region for display at the Cobden Museum. Between 2012 and 2013, heirs of the Joe and Charles Thomas family transferred the human skeletal remains to the Illinois State Museum. The collection contains a minimum of 37 individuals in various states of preservation. Unfortunately, the original provenience of the burials has been lost to history. This talk will review what is currently known about the collection and what questions remain after an initial analysis of the skeletal material. 10. 11:30-11:45 - Illinois’s Forgotten Civil War Site: The Mound City Naval Base Mark J. Wagner (SIU-CAI) Abstract This paper presents a historical and archaeological overview of the Mound City Naval Base (1861-1874), which represented the major Union military installation within Illinois both during and after the Civil War. From 1861-1865 the naval base was the home of the over 100 ship strong Mississippi River Squadron of ironclads and other warships that fought at virtually all of the major battles conducted on the Mississippi River during the Civil War. With the exception of the ship ways that Civil War vessels were built on, however, no above-ground remains of the naval base remain. The CAI is currently involved in creating a GIS database (see below) to identify the location and present condition of Civil War-related resources once associated with the naval base as well as a large prehistoric mound known as “Big Mound” that was used as a guard station during the Civil War. 11. 11:45-12:00 – Preliminary Results From A GIS Study of the Mound City Naval Base (1861-1874) Go Matsumoto (SIU Anthropology Department, CAI) Abstract This presentation discusses preliminary results from an ongoing GIS study of the Mound City Naval Base (1861-1874) that comprises an integral part of a broader historical archaeology project under contemplation. The current study is aimed at creating a GIS database for the purpose of clarifying the locations and present conditions of Civil War-related architecture including a prehistoric mound re-used as a guard station during the war. As the existing data sources (e.g., paper maps, satellite imageries, and aerial and ground photographs printed since the 1860s) were integrated and overlaid in a single mapping space, a vibrant image of the time began to emerge. (12:00-1:00) LUNCH AT SIU MUSEUM (1:00-1:45) IAS AWARDS 12. 1:45-2:00 – New Findings on Ritual, Community Composition, and Structure Distribution at the Morton Village Site Michael Conner and Jodie O’Gorman Abstract The Morton Village site (11F2) contains significant Oneota and Mississippian occupations. New radiocarbon evidence indicates that while there may have been Mississippian structures at the site in the late A.D. 1200s, both Mississippian and Oneota people shared the site during the mid 1300s. A magnetometer survey in 2013 brought the total area investigated through remote sensing to 4.1 ha and provided new evidence on structure distribution. Excavation of an Oneota ritual structure was also largely completed this summer, confirming its unusual architecture (a lower main floor surrounded by a higher bench). A bundle burial was also found in a shallow basin in the structure floor. 13. 2:00-2:15 - Portable X-Ray Fluorescence (PXRF) Analysis of Paints from Prehistoric and Historic Period Native American Rock Art Sites in Southern Illinois Mark Wagner (SIU-CAI), Jan Simek (UT Knoxville), Sierra Bow (UT Knoxville) Abstract X-ray fluorescence analysis of paint chips from an exfoliated Mississippian period (AD 1000-1500) painting in southern Illinois in 2010 revealed the presence of gypsum, a mineral found in caves that was extensively mined by Native Americans in eastern North America for thousands of years. This suggested the possibility that Native American peoples may have traveled to caves (the Under World) to obtain minerals for the creation of paintings found on bluffs and cliff faces (the Upper World). In summer, 2012, we tested this hypothesis by using a PXRF instrument to analyze the pigments in a series of intact paintings in the same region spanning the period AD 1000-1835 as part of a grant awarded to the CAI by the National Geographic Society. 14. 2:15-2:30 - Cahokian Religion, the Emerald Pilgrimage Center, and Cultural Innovation Susan M Alt (Indiana University), Timothy R Pauketat (University of Illinois) and Jeffery D. Kruchten (University of Illinois) Abstract For the past two years, Indiana University and the University of Illinois have conducted excavations at Emerald Mound in Lebanon, Illinois with funding from the Religion and Innovation in Human Affairs Program. As a result, we now understand Emerald to have been an overbuilt, intermittently used, lunar-aligned mound center dating primarily to the late 11th century AD. Survey and excavation have revealed temporary housing and rebuilt public and ritual architecture but mostly low-density artifact deposits, all surrounded by numerous small settlements. 15. 2:30-2:45 - The 2013 Field Investigations at Cahokia John E. Kelly (Washington University), Davide Domenici, University of Bologna Mary Vermilion, St. Louis University Abstract This presentation summarizes the ongoing field investigations at Cahokia Mounds Historic Site. This work includes the joint project between the University of Bologna and Washington University at the north end of the Merrell Tract, especially the monumental architecture associated with the West Plaza; the ongoing work on the East Palisade sponsored by the Cahokia Mounds Museum that has focused on the culturally modified landscape pre-dating the palisades; and finally the St. Louis University investigations in a residential area of Cahokia’s western suburb known as the Fingerhut Tract. BREAK 2:45-3:00 16. 3:00-3:15 - A Preliminary Analysis of Public Architecture Unearthed at the East St Louis Mound Complex Daniel F. Blodgett (ISAS) and Andrew W. Kyser (ISAS) Abstract The 2008 to 2012 excavations conducted by the Illinois State Archaeological Survey at the East St. Louis Mound Complex (11S706) unearthed some 6,000+ features. Among these are several very large Mississippian structures that we have interpreted as public architecture based on several previously documented characteristics attributed to public buildings in the American Bottom: greater floor area as compared to that of domestic structures, lack of a basin fill or associated debris, and the presence of large central post pits. Also, despite some instances of smaller floor area and the presence of basin fill, all circular structures have been classified as public buildings, as is the accepted norm for this area. We review these structures in light of this and ethnohistoric evidence, and discuss the trends in public architecture at East St. Louis within and between the Lohmann and Stirling components (AD 1050-1200). 17. 3:15-3:30 - Documenting Daily Life at the East Saint Louis Mound Complex through Clay and Stone Alleen Betzenhauser (ISAS) and Steve L. Boles (ISAS) Abstract Recent excavations conducted by the Illinois State Archaeological Survey at the East Saint Louis Mound Complex in the American Bottom revealed intensive occupations associated with the Terminal Late Woodland through early Mississippian periods (A.D. 900–1200). An enormous amount of ceramic and lithic material was recovered from thousands of pits, house basins, and post pits. Although the analysis of these materials is still in progress, we will discuss the results thus far and highlight some of the key finds including non-local pottery and projectile points, human and animal effigies, and evidence for the production of formal tools and earspools. 18. 3:30-3:45- The Mound Feasibility Study and the Earlier Role of Nelson Reed in the Preservation Process of Cahokia and the St. Louis region John E. Kelly (Washington University) Abstract For the last two years efforts have been underway by HeartLand Conservancy to engage the public, the professional community, native peoples, and politicians in an effort that will result in the preservation of other important ancient Native communities especially the large towns such as East St. Louis and Pulcher that surround the incipient urban center of Cahokia. This presentation summarizes the earlier efforts, especially those of Nelson Reed in the 1960s and 1970s, and provides a current status report on the present efforts IAS Poster Presentations Saturday 8:00 p.m.-4:00 p.m., Guyon Auditorium Rotunda Variation in Mortuary Practices of the East St. Louis Mound Complex Lenna M. Nash (ISAS) and Meghan L. Smith (ISAS) East St. Louis Mound Complex excavations have identified burials in a variety of ritual contexts. These remains demonstrate significant variation in mortuary treatments from the Terminal Late Woodland to Early Mississippian periods. Human remains have been recovered from post pits, prehistoric borrow pits, a previously unidentified mound, as well as in isolated burial features and discrete burial clusters. The mortuary practices represented within East St. Louis Mound Complex are consistent with other contemporaneous examples from the American Bottom. The wide diversity in the treatment of dead will be explored as it relates to available demographic and taphonomic characteristics of the remains. IAS Starview Winery Reception (6:00-10:00) The buses will leave Pulliam Parking lot at 5:30. Pulliam is the large building with a clock tower to the north of Morris Library. The parking lot is on the north side of the building. We will pass maps out at the meeting showing the location of this parking lot. We are meeting at this lot instead of the library lot because the library is open until 7:00 and the library lot may be full at 5:30. The buses will leave the winery to return to Carbondale at 9:30 p.m. at the latest.
Posted on: Thu, 03 Oct 2013 18:00:14 +0000
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