Cheryl Ann Munson (Indiana University) and Marjorie Melvin Jones (University
of Southem Indiana)
RADIOCARBON AND ARTIFACT CHRONOLOGY OF THE PROTOHISTORIC
CABORN SITE (12 PO 32), POSEY COUNTY, INDIANA
The Caborn site (12 Po 32) is one of the two type sites of the protohistoric Mississippian
Caborn-Welborn phase, which has been generally dated AD 1400-1700 on the basis
of C14 dates and small numbers of European trade goods at some sites of the phase.
The site is a small village located on the Ohio River floodplain. Intensive surveys
followed by test excavations in 1988 delineated the Mississippian occupation and
recognized a minor Late Woodland (Yankeetown Phase) component at the site. The
goals of the test excavations included collection of artifact and C14 samples
for comparison with other Mississippian sites.
Three C14 samples from the Caborn site excavations were run following paleobotanical
analyses to detect contamination of samples by coal, a material which is common
in the site's deposits. Each sample was collected from deposits containing ceramics
having incised and punctated decorations and "thumbnail" endscrapers that are
diagnostic of the phase. The sample from pit Feature 17 is also associated with
a fragmentary disk pipe, another artifact type that occurs on many sites of the
phase. None of the dated deposits produced certain evidence of European trade
goods in association with Caborn-Welborn phase materials, though surface surveys
identified brass gorget with a plow-disturbed burial and another fragmentary brass
artifact.
Results of the initial C14 assays for the Caborn site and comparative information
for other Caborn-Welborn phase sites are:
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Site Calibrated Age Range
14
Sample No. Location C Age BP (intercept/intercepts)
------ -- -------- -- --- -- ----------------------
B-38382 Caborn 380+/-50 AD 1440 (1476) 1625
Fea. 18, small pit
B-38381 Caborn 570+/-50 AD 1311 (1332, 1343, 1394) 1416
Fea. 17, lens in stratified pit
B-39278 Caborn 580+/40 AD 1310(1330, 1347, 1393) 1411
Buried Midden
RL-82 Leonard 460+/-125* AD 1328 (1435) 1621
RL-83 Leonard 345+/190* AD 1410 (1513), 1602, 1615) 1955
DIC-2360 Hovey Lake 250+/-60* AD 1619 (1644) 1667
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*not corrected for isotopic fractionation C13/ C14 Calibrations for 1 Sigma from
CALIB computer program following M. Stuiver and B. Becker,1986 Radiocarbon.
Although the age range for Caborn site Feature 18 does not overlap those for Feature
17, and the buried midden, it fits well with the tight age range for the Hovey
lake site and the two long ranges for the Leonard site. The similar age ranges
for Feature 17 and the buried midden overlap the long ranges for the Leonard site
but also overlap some age ranges for the Mississippian Angel phase, which generally
dates AD 1100 to 1400. Significantly, no Angel phase materials were found in excavation
or survey, despite the extensive Caborn site collections.
Preliminary analysis of Caborn site ceramic samples indicates minor percentages
of grog or grit tempered Late Woodland pottery throughout the midden and in Feature
17, suggesting the possibility that the carbon in the oldest samples derived in
part from this earlier occupation. The use of aged trees (from field clearing
or driftwood) as firewood is another potential source of dating error for the
lens of charred wood fragments in Feature 17. Except for temper, ceramic comparisons
indicate little consistency among the three age ranges. Feature 18 ceramics have
more (15.0%) body decoration (incised, punctated, incised/punctated, engraved,
or red filmed) than the shell tempered pottery in Feature 17 (9.2% to 12.3% by
stratum) and the midden samples (2.89to to 4.6% by level). The proportions of
various types of decorations show a different pattern, with Feature 17 contrasting
markedly with the other two dated contexts.
Assuming all three C14 assays for Caborn site correctly apply to some portion
of the occupation span, the beginning of the Mississippian occupation would have
occurred sometime between the early 1300s and the early 1400s. The trade goods
from the site, which fit well with the age range for one sample, extend the Mississippian
occupation at least to the end of the 1500s or early 1600s. Such a long occupation
span is not consistent with artifact and features densities, however. This discrepancy
highlights the occurrence in the two oldest samples of Late Woodland pottery and
the lack of internal consistency between age ranges and Mississippian ceramic
attributes.
Additional C14 dates from Caborn site are planned to more precisely date the Mississippian
occupation span, once flotation samples are analyzed and carbonized maize can
be utilized for chronometric assays. A suite of dates on maize from its and various
midden levels should eliminate the problem of dating "old wood" and minimize the
possibility of incorporating carbon from the Late Woodland component.
We gratefully acknowledge the cooperation of the landowners of the Caborn site
and the lease farmers during the field studies. Additionally, we thank the field
crew, the workers who volunteered during the excavations and the individuals who
helped with mechanized excavation, aerial photography, and funds for C14 dating.
Assessment of coal contamination was aided by Kenneth Tankersley (Illinois State
Museum), Donald Whitehead (Indiana University), and Michael Zavada (University
of Southwestern Louisiana), who conducted the paleobotanical analyses. Support
for the test excavations was provided by the Indiana Historical Society, Glenn-
A. Black Laboratory of Archaeology, Indiana University, and the University of
Southern Indiana. Bret Ruby (Indiana University) served as field assistant and
helped organize collections for dating and preliminary analysis. The Caborn site
collections were made available for study courtesy of due Glenn A. Black Laboratory
of Archaeology, Indiana University, which curates the materials under Accession
No. 7109.
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