In the seventeenth century the Iroquois successfully attacked indigenous and European fortified v... more In the seventeenth century the Iroquois successfully attacked indigenous and European fortified villages and posts of the Northeast. The purpose of this article is to address and describe the warfare tactics used by the Iroquois against fortified settlements. A diachronic and functional analysis of offensive and defensive warfare techniques is presented from ethnohistorical descriptions and archaeological evidence. It is argued that through the process of trial and error, warfare acted as a selective process upon offensive strategies and assault tactics used against fortifications during the late prehistoric and early historic periods.
Over the past 160 years Woodland period earthworks and mounds along the main valleys of the Great... more Over the past 160 years Woodland period earthworks and mounds along the main valleys of the Great and Little Miami Rivers in southwest Ohio have received considerable archaeological attention in contrast to those along the secondary tributaries of these drainages. This study examines Twin Creek, a secondary tributary of the Great Miami River, in an attempt to synthesize existing information on Woodland period archaeological sites located on this drainage. Of interest is whether earthworks and mounds form clusters at regularly spaced intervals from one another and/or at certain topographical situations. Major Woodland period sites identified by investigators in the nineteenth and early twentieth century are reexamined to see whether these sites still exist, and if so, how they have been impacted by historic disturbances over the past 200 years. In addition, the results of recent fieldwork and survey on Woodland period sites along Twin Creek are presented.
The North American pawpaw (Asimina triloba) is found in Michigan, southern Ontario, Ohio, and New... more The North American pawpaw (Asimina triloba) is found in Michigan, southern Ontario, Ohio, and New York. It is the only indigenous tropical tree species found as far north as the Great Lakes Region. The purpose of this article is to ascertain whether or not Iroquoian populations were directly responsible for the northernmost distribution of pawpaw trees. Pawpaw populations located in southern Ontario and in isolated pockets in New York are conspicuous because of their extreme northern location and their isolation from pawpaw populations to the south. Ethnohistoric and archaeological information is analyzed in an attempt to discover how coincidental it is that these isolated pawpaw populations correspond with the former habitation areas of several Iroquoian speaking groups. It is argued that trade and warfare between Iroquoian groups located in southern Ontario, New York, and the southern Lake Erie area were responsible for the spread of pawpaws from the Ohio and Michigan regions northward and eastward.
Numerous historical residential sites are recorded yearly in eastern Ohio as a result of CRM inve... more Numerous historical residential sites are recorded yearly in eastern Ohio as a result of CRM investigations. Most do not result in the accumulation of intensive data due to prior disturbances, small artifact assemblages, or lack of corroborative historical information. This article summarizes results of the investigation of the Tarr log house located in Jefferson County, Ohio. Excavations and artifact analysis identified depositional patterning around the house foundation that indicated differing uses of the surrounding yard during the nineteenth century versus later occupations. Depositional pat- terning was also successful in determining architectural features associated with the house not evident on the surface. Use of ceramic index values (Manson and Snyder, 1997; Miller, 1980, 1991) in conjunction with his- torical research of the families associated with the site resulted in the creation of two socioeconomic status patterns. The patterns and findings discovered at Tarr are compared with other contemporary sites in Ohio.
In the summer of 2007 the Settler’s Ridge site (33-AS-32), an Early Woodland upland encampment, w... more In the summer of 2007 the Settler’s Ridge site (33-AS-32), an Early Woodland upland encampment, was investigated through a series of cultural resource investigations. Excavations at the site suggest a single or limited occupation during the Early Woodland sometime between 569 to 624 B.C. The size of the site, depositional patterning of the artifacts, and feature outlay indicate a small sized encampment probably related to hunting activities in the uplands. This article summarizes the analysis of the lithic and ceramic assemblages, radiocarbon dates, site structure and the depositional patterning evident at the site. Pottery recovered during excavations is Leimbach Cordmarked, which is representative of much of the northern Ohio area during the Early Woodland. Few Early Woodland upland sites in northern Ohio containing pottery have been intensively studied. Consequently, Settler’s Ridge adds important information on how upland landforms were used during this period.
In the seventeenth century the Iroquois successfully attacked indigenous and European fortified v... more In the seventeenth century the Iroquois successfully attacked indigenous and European fortified villages and posts of the Northeast. The purpose of this article is to address and describe the warfare tactics used by the Iroquois against fortified settlements. A diachronic and functional analysis of offensive and defensive warfare techniques is presented from ethnohistorical descriptions and archaeological evidence. It is argued that through the process of trial and error, warfare acted as a selective process upon offensive strategies and assault tactics used against fortifications during the late prehistoric and early historic periods.
Over the past 160 years Woodland period earthworks and mounds along the main valleys of the Great... more Over the past 160 years Woodland period earthworks and mounds along the main valleys of the Great and Little Miami Rivers in southwest Ohio have received considerable archaeological attention in contrast to those along the secondary tributaries of these drainages. This study examines Twin Creek, a secondary tributary of the Great Miami River, in an attempt to synthesize existing information on Woodland period archaeological sites located on this drainage. Of interest is whether earthworks and mounds form clusters at regularly spaced intervals from one another and/or at certain topographical situations. Major Woodland period sites identified by investigators in the nineteenth and early twentieth century are reexamined to see whether these sites still exist, and if so, how they have been impacted by historic disturbances over the past 200 years. In addition, the results of recent fieldwork and survey on Woodland period sites along Twin Creek are presented.
The North American pawpaw (Asimina triloba) is found in Michigan, southern Ontario, Ohio, and New... more The North American pawpaw (Asimina triloba) is found in Michigan, southern Ontario, Ohio, and New York. It is the only indigenous tropical tree species found as far north as the Great Lakes Region. The purpose of this article is to ascertain whether or not Iroquoian populations were directly responsible for the northernmost distribution of pawpaw trees. Pawpaw populations located in southern Ontario and in isolated pockets in New York are conspicuous because of their extreme northern location and their isolation from pawpaw populations to the south. Ethnohistoric and archaeological information is analyzed in an attempt to discover how coincidental it is that these isolated pawpaw populations correspond with the former habitation areas of several Iroquoian speaking groups. It is argued that trade and warfare between Iroquoian groups located in southern Ontario, New York, and the southern Lake Erie area were responsible for the spread of pawpaws from the Ohio and Michigan regions northward and eastward.
Numerous historical residential sites are recorded yearly in eastern Ohio as a result of CRM inve... more Numerous historical residential sites are recorded yearly in eastern Ohio as a result of CRM investigations. Most do not result in the accumulation of intensive data due to prior disturbances, small artifact assemblages, or lack of corroborative historical information. This article summarizes results of the investigation of the Tarr log house located in Jefferson County, Ohio. Excavations and artifact analysis identified depositional patterning around the house foundation that indicated differing uses of the surrounding yard during the nineteenth century versus later occupations. Depositional pat- terning was also successful in determining architectural features associated with the house not evident on the surface. Use of ceramic index values (Manson and Snyder, 1997; Miller, 1980, 1991) in conjunction with his- torical research of the families associated with the site resulted in the creation of two socioeconomic status patterns. The patterns and findings discovered at Tarr are compared with other contemporary sites in Ohio.
In the summer of 2007 the Settler’s Ridge site (33-AS-32), an Early Woodland upland encampment, w... more In the summer of 2007 the Settler’s Ridge site (33-AS-32), an Early Woodland upland encampment, was investigated through a series of cultural resource investigations. Excavations at the site suggest a single or limited occupation during the Early Woodland sometime between 569 to 624 B.C. The size of the site, depositional patterning of the artifacts, and feature outlay indicate a small sized encampment probably related to hunting activities in the uplands. This article summarizes the analysis of the lithic and ceramic assemblages, radiocarbon dates, site structure and the depositional patterning evident at the site. Pottery recovered during excavations is Leimbach Cordmarked, which is representative of much of the northern Ohio area during the Early Woodland. Few Early Woodland upland sites in northern Ohio containing pottery have been intensively studied. Consequently, Settler’s Ridge adds important information on how upland landforms were used during this period.
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