Iowa archaeology Research Papers - Academia.edu (original) (raw)

The Millipede site is a Nebraska variant (Central Plains tradition) lodge dating to ca. AD 1300. The structure had burned, preserving a rich array of plant remains and insects. Elm was the principal wood used in lodge construction and... more

The Millipede site is a Nebraska variant (Central Plains tradition) lodge dating to ca. AD 1300. The structure had burned, preserving a rich array of plant remains and insects. Elm was the principal wood used in lodge construction and hophornbeam (ironwood) was also heavily employed. Maize (mostly 10-row) was plentiful, and common beans also were present. Over 3,600 goosefoot (Chenopodium cf. berlandieri) seeds were recovered, most of which derive from a domesticated variety. Other abundant native domesticated plants included sumpweed and tobacco. Charred insect larvae, mostly darkling beetles (false wireworms), were associated with food remains in the bottom of an open storage pit and on the lodge floor. We conclude that the lodge's residents vacated and intentionally burned the structure. Insect infestation may have contributed to the residents' decision to burn the lodge, but burning also might have formed part of a closing ritual associated with decommissioning the dwelling. (Article and Supplemental Material)

During the early part of the twentieth century, John C. Hartman of Waterloo, Iowa, documented archaeological sites and artifacts in Black Hawk County, Iowa. His legacy includes drawings, newspaper accounts, artifacts, and correspondence... more

During the early part of the twentieth century, John C. Hartman of Waterloo, Iowa, documented archaeological sites and artifacts in Black Hawk County, Iowa. His legacy includes drawings, newspaper accounts, artifacts, and correspondence with other archaeologists. Hartman's work, coupled with more recent archaeological investigations like those conducted by the University of Northern Iowa at the Black Medicine site (13BH164), is used to refine what is known about the prehistoric use of the area. The results of this synthesis of old and new research suggest the possibility of a settlement system involving differential use of the landscape along the Cedar River.

Burials from a portion of the Third Street Cemetery were excavated over four field seasons between 2007 and 2011 by the University of Iowa Office of the State Archaeologist Burials Program. Third Street Cemetery was the first established... more

Burials from a portion of the Third Street Cemetery were excavated over four field seasons
between 2007 and 2011 by the University of Iowa Office of the State Archaeologist Burials
Program. Third Street Cemetery was the first established Catholic Cemetery in the City of
Dubuque, Iowa. Its active use occurred from around 1833 until around 1880. Analysis of
the 939 excavated burials and report writing was conducted off-season and through Spring
of 2013. Disinterments, some including incomplete remains, totaled 76 of the burials. 889
individuals were analyzed from both burial and non-burial features. The history of the
cemetery, analysis of the human skeletal remains, grave goods, coffins, hardware, and
detailed appendices are included in this report.

At least 20 Middle Woodland mounds once existed along the Iowa-Mississippi River bluff at Toolesboro in Louisa County, Iowa. The mounds were investigated as early as the 1830s or 1840s, with most excavations occurring in the late... more

At least 20 Middle Woodland mounds once existed along the Iowa-Mississippi River bluff at Toolesboro in Louisa County, Iowa. The mounds were investigated as early as the 1830s or 1840s, with most excavations occurring in the late nineteenth century. Although field records are sparse, available data permit insights into mound structure, mortuary practices, demographic and biological characteristics, and cultural connections. Mound construction and use began early in the Havana tradition, ca. 150 B.C., and continued for perhaps 200–300 years during the Hopewell horizon. Excavations revealed log-lined tombs containing burials associated with ceramics, copper axes and pins, platform pipes, exotic lithics and minerals, and other funerary objects. Toolesboro and nearby sites indicate full participation by southeast Iowa Middle Woodland populations in the Havana-Hopewell cultural network.

The exchange of some Oneota red pipestone artifacts commonly, but sometimes incorrectly, identified as manufactured from catlinite from southwest Minnesota, likely created fictive kinship alliances between unrelated groups from ca. A.D.... more

The exchange of some Oneota red pipestone artifacts commonly, but sometimes incorrectly, identified as manufactured from catlinite from southwest Minnesota, likely created fictive kinship alliances between unrelated groups from ca. A.D. 1450 into the early 1700s. Researchers have determined, however, that red pipestone raw material occurs across a wide area within the United States and Canada. Determining the provenance of this red pipestone raw material is thus critical to understanding Oneota trade and alliance building. Using Portable Infrared Mineral Analyzer (PIMA) technology to identify the raw material sources of 84 red pipestone artifacts from seven Oneota villages in the Little Sioux valley of northwest Iowa, we demonstrate that while the local inhabitants had access to the catlinite quarries, they also used a wide range of pipestones from other sources. The possible implications of these multiple source areas are also discussed.

Pilot Rock, a Sioux Quartzite boulder with petroglyphs, sits atop a hill to the east of the Little Sioux River in Northwest Iowa. In 1934, archaeological investigations began at the site, but only limited research into the significance of... more

Pilot Rock, a Sioux Quartzite boulder with petroglyphs, sits atop a hill to the east of the Little Sioux River in Northwest Iowa. In 1934, archaeological investigations began at the site, but only limited research into the significance of this site is known. This research project thoroughly documented the Pilot Rock site using wide-angle lens
photography and thermal imagery technologies. I created a sitemap and performed landscape and thermal imagery analyses to understand the orientation of the petroglyphs in relationship to landscape features and variations in the rock's surface. To identify the significance of the feature and its art I reviewed ethnographic and ethnohistorical records,
and I reviewed the archaeological literature to place the site in the context of other rock art sites in the Midwest. I discovered fifteen previously unrecorded petroglyphs and found the glyphs are most likely part of the Hoofprint and Vertical Series Traditions. My
analysis provides a greater understanding of the ritualistic and ceremonial importance of glacial erratic rocks and rock art in the Midwest. The case study used new technologies
for rock art studies and stressed the importance of doing ethnoarchaeology at rock art sites. My thesis is unique and contributes to the field of archaeology.

The Marseton #2 site is a Weaver ring midden in the Mississippi Valley of Mercer County, Illinois, that was buried by a catastrophic flood event a few centuries after the site had been abandoned. Analysis of the more than 740,000 ceramic... more

The Marseton #2 site is a Weaver ring midden in the
Mississippi Valley of Mercer County, Illinois, that was buried
by a catastrophic flood event a few centuries after the site
had been abandoned. Analysis of the more than 740,000
ceramic items from the village provides insights as to
Weaver interactions with other non-Weaver early Late
Woodland groups of the region. While the presence of non-
Weaver ceramics at the village might represent trade items,
or vessels manufactured by potters peacefully or forcibly
brought to the site, it is suggested that a non-Weaver
household producing Levsen-like ceramics was coexisting at
Marseton #2 alongside multiple Weaver households.

Published as part of a "coffee table book" called Iowa's Natural Heritage, this 1982 paper, Early Iowans, was written for a general audience and has large format, full-color images. Zimmerman was then at the University of South Dakota,... more

Published as part of a "coffee table book" called Iowa's Natural Heritage, this 1982 paper, Early Iowans, was written for a general audience and has large format, full-color images. Zimmerman was then at the University of South Dakota, and co-author Duane C. Anderson was State Archaeologist of Iowa.

From 2007-2013, Iowa and Minnesota acquired statewide, 1m horizontal resolution Light Detecting and Ranging (LiDAR) imagery, with both states making the data available for unrestricted public download and viewing on the Web. The four... more

From 2007-2013, Iowa and Minnesota acquired
statewide, 1m horizontal resolution Light Detecting
and Ranging (LiDAR) imagery, with both states
making the data available for unrestricted public
download and viewing on the Web. The four
studies summarized in this paper found that
mounds as small as 3 m diameter and 30 cm high
were readily visible in these datasets. The studies
successfully identified 37 percent of 8,726 mounds
previously recorded at a total of 758 sites located
in physiographically-varied regions of each state.
Two studies, including one funded by NCPTT,
developed LiDAR Surveyor, an ArcGIS model
that scans large tracts of land, extracting features
with the characteristic 3D geometry of conical
mounds in LiDAR. The current version scanned
86 km2 in seven physiographically-varied areas
of interest, identifying 1216 total mound marks
(12 km2), flagging 88 percent as false positives,
and identifying potential mounds at twenty-five
of twenty-eight known mound sites within the
study areas. The clustering of detected mounds in
these 25 groups illustrates the model’s utility for
prospection, identifying specific areas within which
to target costly field verification surveys. The other
two studies summarized here achieved mound
detection rates of 36 percent by incorporating
georeferenced maps and digitized survey traverses to
assist in searching LiDAR for 6223 known mounds
in seventeen Minnesota counties; 118 previously
unknown potential mounds at twelve sites. The
studies provided important information about land
use factors contributing to mound destruction and
preservation. The four studies underscore that
archaeologists using LiDAR must be aware of, and
explicitly account for, the limitations of LiDAR
when using it for archaeological prospection and
verification.

A ceramic vessel found at a Mill Creek culture (eastern Initial Middle Missouri variant) site in northwest Iowa exhibits features characteristic of both the Southern Caddo Holly Fine Engraved type and the Fine Engraved Carving type of the... more

A ceramic vessel found at a Mill Creek culture (eastern Initial Middle Missouri variant) site in northwest Iowa exhibits features characteristic of both the Southern Caddo Holly Fine Engraved type and the Fine Engraved Carving type of the American Bottom Fine Grog series. Knowing the vessel’s likely manufacturing locale is important in understanding relationships between Middle Missouri tradition people and distant groups to the south. To determine whether the vessel was made in the Caddo area or the Cahokia region, we employ stylistic analysis and three forms of compositional analysis: petrographic, X-ray fluorescence, and neutron activation. We conclude that the vessel was neither made locally in northwest Iowa nor in the Caddo area. It might have been made in the Cahokia region by a potter versed in the Caddo ceramic vocabulary, but further analysis of potential American Bottom source clays is needed.

Book chapter analyzing plant remains from a 1300 CE Central Plains tradition lodge in the Missouri River valley, southwest Iowa. Thirty-eight plant taxa were identified. Elm (Ulmus spp.) and ash (Fraxinus sp.) were the principal wood... more

Book chapter analyzing plant remains from a 1300 CE Central Plains tradition lodge in the Missouri River valley, southwest Iowa. Thirty-eight plant taxa were identified. Elm (Ulmus spp.) and ash (Fraxinus sp.) were the principal wood resources, while maize (Zea mays) and little barley (Hordeum pusillum) were the most abundant domesticates. Download supplemental tables and order the book at https://uofupress.lib.utah.edu/household-economy-at-wall-ridge/.

Most earthen burial mounds of eastern North America have been destroyed--or have they? We review geophysical methods for assessing whether leveled mounds retain intact deposits or features. Magnetic survey holds promise for locating and... more

Most earthen burial mounds of eastern North America have been destroyed--or have they? We review geophysical methods for assessing whether leveled mounds retain intact deposits or features. Magnetic survey holds promise for locating and evaluating leveled mounds because it is rapid and sensitive to magnetic variations associated with anticipated features such as pits and deposits of mound fill. As a case study, we discuss our magnetic survey of the Gast Farm site (13LA12) in eastern Iowa. The survey covered 8.64 ha, encompassing loci of one previously reported mound and possible geometric earthworks as well as Middle and Late Woodland habitation areas. Interpretation of survey results incorporated quantitative differentiation of magnetic anomaly types using GIS techniques, along with standard visual inspection. We found no evidence of geometric earthworks but identified at least six leveled mounds. Displaced mound fill appears to account for the earthwork-like features. We conclude that leveled mounds are detectable and may retain subsurface integrity. Their associated features, including burials, may be identifiable even when above-ground evidence has disappeared.

The Ward Long Mound site (13AM129) contains a linear mound located along the Upper Iowa River in western Al- lamakee County, Iowa. A remote sensing survey of the mound was conducted in June 2016 using a Bartington Grad 601-2 gradiometer.... more

The Ward Long Mound site (13AM129) contains a linear mound located along the Upper Iowa River in western Al- lamakee County, Iowa. A remote sensing survey of the mound was conducted in June 2016 using a Bartington Grad 601-2 gradiometer. The results indicate that the mound was likely constructed in stages that included the de nition of the mound through removal of the existing topsoil and the use of topsoil from the surrounding area for the mound ll. urther, the presence of several anomalies within the mound likely indicates features such as limestone concentrations or hearths.

Most earthen burial mounds of eastern North America have been destroyed—or have they? We review geophysical methods for assessing whether leveled mounds retain intact deposits or features. Magnetic survey holds promise for locating and... more

Most earthen burial mounds of eastern North America have been destroyed—or have they? We review geophysical methods for assessing whether leveled mounds retain intact deposits or features. Magnetic survey holds promise for locating and evaluating leveled mounds because it is rapid and sensitive to magnetic variations associated with anticipated features such as pits and deposits of mound fill. As a case study, we discuss our magnetic survey of the Gast Farm site (13LA12) in eastern Iowa. The survey covered 8.64 ha, encompassing loci of one previously reported mound and possible geometric earthworks as well as Middle and Late Woodland habitation areas. Interpretation of survey results incorporated quantitative differentiation of magnetic anomaly types using GIS techniques, along with standard visual inspection. We found no evidence of geometric earthworks but identified at least six leveled mounds. Displaced mound fill appears to account for the earthwork-like features. We conclude t...