Abstracts of Research (1998)
by Leslie L. Bush
- 1998 excavations at the Heaton Farm site, 12Gr122. Paper presented
at the 114th annual meeting of the Indiana Academy of Science. Park Tudor
School, Indianapolis, IN, 30 October 1998.
The Heaton Farm site (12Gr122) is large, multi-component habitation that includes
a Late Prehistoric component dating from the late thirteenth to early fifteenth
centuries. Pottery from two distinct Late Prehistoric ceramic traditions has
been identified at the site, and structures representing at least two different
construction styles are also present. This paper presents preliminary results
of the 1998 excavations, with special attention to the relationship between
the two types of material culture recovered. This summer, excavation of two
previously identified structures was completed, and the remains of two new
structures were identified. Four 1 x 10 meter trenches located at the limits
of the village suggest that no defensive fortification surrounded the buildings.
- Preliminary data on Late Woodland and Late Prehistoric Plant Procurement
Strategies in Southern Indiana. Paper presented at the 43rd Annual Meeting
of the Midwest Archaeological Conference. Ball State University, Muncie, IN,
24 October 1998.
This paper compiles the limited data available for plant-related subsistence
practices in south-central Indiana during Late Woodland and Late Prehistoric
times. Botanical remains from Newtown, Allison-LaMotte, Albee and Oliver phase
sites are examined. Comparison with data from adjacent areas suggests that,
while inhabitants of south-central Indiana participated in many of the broader
temporal trends seen in the Eastern Woodlands, they also engaged in practices
unique to the area. In addition to a transition from native crop horticulture
to farming practices based on corn, the Late Woodland and Late Prehistoric
periods in this area see a decline in the archaeological visibility (and perhaps
also actual use) of nut resources and cucurbits and an increase in the intensity
of agriculture.
- Notes on Late Woodland Plant Use in Southern Indiana. Paper presented
at the 63rd Annual Meeting of the Society for American Archaeology. Seattle,
WA, 28 March 1998.
Until recently, our understanding of Late Woodland plant use in Indiana has
been largely the result of interpolating archaeobotanical data from sites
in Ohio and Illinois. Excavation of Allison-LaMotte, Albee and Newtown components
from sites in the southern half of the state have yielded data on uses of
plants by Late Woodland peoples. This paper presents the results of archaeobotanical
analysis in regional context, with special attention to the cultivation of
native starchy-seeded plants and the introduction of maize as a staple crop.
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