Early and Middle Woodland in the Upper Ohio Drainage (original) (raw)

THE LATE WOODLAND PERIOD IN WESTERN PENNSYLVANIA

Pennsylvania Archaeologist 85(2):25-46., 2015

The Late Woodland period (AD 400 and 1000) is an important transition stage between the Middle Woodland and Late Prehistoric periods in western Pennsylvania. The bow-and-arrow and cultivation of Northern Flint maize are believed to have been introduced during this interval, while participation in the Hopewellian trade network ceased. This paper will examine the Late Woodland phases from western Pennsylvania and how they relate to the following Late Prehistoric inhabitants of the region

A Study of Six Early/Middle Woodland Sites in Westmoreland County, Pennsylvania

Pennsylvania Archaeaologist, 1988

Archaeological investigation of six sites along a three-mile section of proposed gas pipeline in Westmoreland County revealed significant new information regarding little known Early to Middle Woodland habitation sites. The presence of features on all sites displaying the same morphological char­acteristics indicates that the same type of activities were tak­ing place. Radiocarbon dating at three of the sites and sim­ilar artifact types at all the sites demonstrate a loose temporal association which shows the presence of small hamlets where semisedentary groups lived in the Youghiog­heny River valley around the first to fifth centuries B.C. The lack of comparative data relating to feature morphology at other sites in the Youghiogheny River valley and surround­ing areas prevents a functional analysis. However, the data presented herein serves to supply information to a sparse data base and suggests the need for standardized methods for feature documentation and thorough investigation be­fore discounting features as non-cultural.

Late Woodland Period “Waste” Reduction in the Ohio River Valley

Journal of Anthropological Archaeology, 1999

The "good and gray" (Williams 1963:297) cultures of the Late Woodland period in the Eastern Woodlands are so named because they lack the elaboration of the preceding Middle Woodland. Traditional attempts to explain this loss of elaboration as a consequence of social breakdown or climatic change fail empirically or are untestable and do not account for the variety of trajectories observed. The "waste" hypothesis both accounts for this kind of variation and is testable. Here we describe the critical variation in different areas of the Ohio Valley and outline a brief explanation, relying on simple variables drawn from evolutionary theory.

A Middle Woodland Settlement System in the Schuylkill River Valley, Southeastern Pennsylvania

Combining a review of regional literature, collection of new data, and the development of a settlement model, this project seeks to clarify discrepancies and deficiencies in the understanding of the Middle Woodland Period of the Schuylkill River Valley, southeastern Pennsylvania. Focusing on a study area consisting of the middle Schuylkill River Valley, a Fox Creek Phase (A.D. 200 – A.D. 800) Middle Woodland settlement system is constructed to test hypotheses related to issues of settlement intensity, presence and degree of interregional trade/exchange and interaction, and the structure of cultural chronologies. The outcome of this analysis reveals the presence of a distinct Middle Woodland settlement pattern within the study area. Suggested as indicating a cyclic seasonal occupation, the settlement pattern also reveals the likelihood of regional trade and interaction. This is evident from lithic materials and influences on biface and ceramic types. Connections with the middle and lower Delaware Valley are explored. Finally, this analysis helps to reorganize the cultural chronology of southeast Pennsylvania by documenting the presence of numerous Fox Creek phase sites.

The Huntington Road Site: A Middle Woodland Habitation in Northeastern Ohio

As a part of my internship1 this past summer with the Cleveland Museum of Natural History (CMNH) I conducted analysis on the artifacts from the Huntington Road site (33LA160). The site is located on the northern bank of Red Creek, just east of the Grand River in Lake County, OH. Most of the artifacts were collected by Mr. Robert Evangelista in 1982 as Diamond Shamrock Corporation was bulldozing the site. The collection was donated to the CMNH on October 26, 1990. Additionally, sixteen artifacts were collected from the site by Dr. David Brose and Mr. Alfred Lee in 1988.

"Artifacts Writ Large": Ditch Enclosures and Middle Woodland Interaction in Southern Appalachia

Small but notable exotic artifact assemblages from Middle Woodland sites across the southern Appalachians have long implicated local inhabitants in the Hopewell Interaction Sphere. Using these data, archaeologists have explored the economic and ceremonial relationships that linked these communities to groups in the Midwest. Recent geophysical survey and excavations at the Garden Creek site in North Carolina have revealed a locally unprecedented ditch enclosure that promises to further elucidate such relationships. The architectural history of this feature and its associated artifact assemblage suggest that the Appalachian Middle Woodland involved more intensive and impactful Hopewellian interactions than have previously been considered.