Research Report No. 15, Research Laboratories of Archaeology, University of North Carolina at Cha... more Research Report No. 15, Research Laboratories of Archaeology, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Reports in this series discuss the findings of archaeological excavations and research projects undertaken by the RLA between 1984 and present.
Research Report No. 17, Research Laboratories of Archaeology, University of North Carolina at Cha... more Research Report No. 17, Research Laboratories of Archaeology, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Reports in this series discuss the findings of archaeological excavations and research projects undertaken by the RLA between 1984 and present.
Research Report No. 13, Research Laboratories of Archaeology, University of North Carolina at Cha... more Research Report No. 13, Research Laboratories of Archaeology, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Reports in this series discuss the findings of archaeological excavations and research projects undertaken by the RLA between 1984 and present.
Research Report No. 14, Research Laboratories of Archaeology, University of North Carolina at Cha... more Research Report No. 14, Research Laboratories of Archaeology, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Reports in this series discuss the findings of archaeological excavations and research projects undertaken by the RLA between 1984 and present.
Research Report No. 19, Research Laboratories of Archaeology, University of North Carolina at Cha... more Research Report No. 19, Research Laboratories of Archaeology, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Reports in this series discuss the findings of archaeological excavations and research projects undertaken by the RLA between 1984 and present.
Research Report No. 18, Research Laboratories of Archaeology, University of North Carolina at Cha... more Research Report No. 18, Research Laboratories of Archaeology, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Reports in this series discuss the findings of archaeological excavations and research projects undertaken by the RLA between 1984 and present.
Buried archaeological sites along Piedmont streams can be located using a predictive model based ... more Buried archaeological sites along Piedmont streams can be located using a predictive model based on a 20-km geoarchaeology survey of the Deep River in the North Carolina Piedmont. Alluvial terraces adjacent to knickpoints and tributary streams were more likely to contain buried archaeological sites. These sites occur on specific landforms that can be identified by reconstructing the buried prehistoric floodplain geomorphology. Buried sites occur on large levees along the inside of river bends in the upper reaches of the river and on ridge crests within a ridge and swale floodplain morphology on broad downstream floodplains. The alluvial strata in these landforms represent five archaeological periods. The potential for preservation of cultural context and archaeological stratigraphy can be evaluated using sedimentology of the strata containing buried cultural horizons. Piedmont archaeological sites include cultural resources that date back to Late Pleistocene occupations (Anderson and Schuldenrein 1985; Claggett and Cable 1982; Coe 1964; Fish and Hally 1983; O'Steen 1996; Ward 1983). The research plan for deep testing surveys along Piedmont streams is often designed around access to the alluvial terraces and field time budgeted for the project (e.g., Fish and Hally 1983). We propose a model for identifying areas that were favorable for Native American occupation as well as landforms and strata that are likely to contain buried archaeological sites. Our goal is to develop a strategy for designing deep testing surveys that will increase the number of threatened cultural resources identified by archaeological surveys in Piedmont drainage basins. Previous Work Coe (1964) proposed a working hypothesis for identifying deeply stratified archaeological sites on Piedmont streams. He recognized the potential for thick accumulations of Holocene alluvium along the Fall Line between the Piedmont and Coastal Plain (Figure 1). Streams have steep gradient channels that flow through narrows incised into the bedrock as they cross the Fall Line. Holocene stratigraphy is preserved where "fingers of resistant rock extend from the valley wall" protecting alluvial deposits downstream of the bedrock ledge (Coe 1964:11). This hypothesis was successfully tested at several deeply stratified sites along the Fall Line and in similar hydrologie settings. Some of the earliest large scale deep testing was conducted in the Oconee River Valley in Piedmont Georgia prior construction of the Wallace Reservoir (DePratter 1983). This survey used posthole diggers to find buried sites up to 2 m deep employing both intuitive and systematic testing strategies. The intuitive method surveyed landforms thought to be favorable for occupation, such as the levees (DePratter 1983). The systematic method sampled randomly selected quadrants within a portion of the reservoir. The intuitive method was highly successful, and the systematic method showed a reasonable estimate of sites within the sample area. The stream channel location is influenced by geologic structure and the stream gradient by lithologically controlled knickpoints (Brook 1981). The stratigraphy recorded along the Oconee River was used to distinguish seven different periods of deposition and erosion (Brook 1981). O'Steen (1996) recognized that lithic resources are the most influential factor in the distribution of Early Archaic and Paleoindian sites along the Oconee River Valley. River hydrology was also an important factor in site distribution, as 63 percent of Paleoindian and Dalton sites were located at shoals (rapids) and Early Archaic sites are twice as dense near shoals (O'Steen 1996). The importance of shoals is attributed to the proximity of resources from different ecosystems in the narrow river valley and the sheltered nature of this part of the valley. Gunn (1991) also recognized the role of stream hydrology when he summarized the results of earlier surveys (Abbott 1987; Claggett and Cable 1982; Coe 1964) to suggest the potential for site preservation at narrows and along elbows of Piedmont streams. …
Research Report No. 16, Research Laboratories of Archaeology, University of North Carolina at Cha... more Research Report No. 16, Research Laboratories of Archaeology, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Reports in this series discuss the findings of archaeological excavations and research projects undertaken by the RLA between 1984 and present.
Research Report No. 15, Research Laboratories of Archaeology, University of North Carolina at Cha... more Research Report No. 15, Research Laboratories of Archaeology, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Reports in this series discuss the findings of archaeological excavations and research projects undertaken by the RLA between 1984 and present.
Research Report No. 17, Research Laboratories of Archaeology, University of North Carolina at Cha... more Research Report No. 17, Research Laboratories of Archaeology, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Reports in this series discuss the findings of archaeological excavations and research projects undertaken by the RLA between 1984 and present.
Research Report No. 13, Research Laboratories of Archaeology, University of North Carolina at Cha... more Research Report No. 13, Research Laboratories of Archaeology, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Reports in this series discuss the findings of archaeological excavations and research projects undertaken by the RLA between 1984 and present.
Research Report No. 14, Research Laboratories of Archaeology, University of North Carolina at Cha... more Research Report No. 14, Research Laboratories of Archaeology, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Reports in this series discuss the findings of archaeological excavations and research projects undertaken by the RLA between 1984 and present.
Research Report No. 19, Research Laboratories of Archaeology, University of North Carolina at Cha... more Research Report No. 19, Research Laboratories of Archaeology, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Reports in this series discuss the findings of archaeological excavations and research projects undertaken by the RLA between 1984 and present.
Research Report No. 18, Research Laboratories of Archaeology, University of North Carolina at Cha... more Research Report No. 18, Research Laboratories of Archaeology, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Reports in this series discuss the findings of archaeological excavations and research projects undertaken by the RLA between 1984 and present.
Buried archaeological sites along Piedmont streams can be located using a predictive model based ... more Buried archaeological sites along Piedmont streams can be located using a predictive model based on a 20-km geoarchaeology survey of the Deep River in the North Carolina Piedmont. Alluvial terraces adjacent to knickpoints and tributary streams were more likely to contain buried archaeological sites. These sites occur on specific landforms that can be identified by reconstructing the buried prehistoric floodplain geomorphology. Buried sites occur on large levees along the inside of river bends in the upper reaches of the river and on ridge crests within a ridge and swale floodplain morphology on broad downstream floodplains. The alluvial strata in these landforms represent five archaeological periods. The potential for preservation of cultural context and archaeological stratigraphy can be evaluated using sedimentology of the strata containing buried cultural horizons. Piedmont archaeological sites include cultural resources that date back to Late Pleistocene occupations (Anderson and Schuldenrein 1985; Claggett and Cable 1982; Coe 1964; Fish and Hally 1983; O'Steen 1996; Ward 1983). The research plan for deep testing surveys along Piedmont streams is often designed around access to the alluvial terraces and field time budgeted for the project (e.g., Fish and Hally 1983). We propose a model for identifying areas that were favorable for Native American occupation as well as landforms and strata that are likely to contain buried archaeological sites. Our goal is to develop a strategy for designing deep testing surveys that will increase the number of threatened cultural resources identified by archaeological surveys in Piedmont drainage basins. Previous Work Coe (1964) proposed a working hypothesis for identifying deeply stratified archaeological sites on Piedmont streams. He recognized the potential for thick accumulations of Holocene alluvium along the Fall Line between the Piedmont and Coastal Plain (Figure 1). Streams have steep gradient channels that flow through narrows incised into the bedrock as they cross the Fall Line. Holocene stratigraphy is preserved where "fingers of resistant rock extend from the valley wall" protecting alluvial deposits downstream of the bedrock ledge (Coe 1964:11). This hypothesis was successfully tested at several deeply stratified sites along the Fall Line and in similar hydrologie settings. Some of the earliest large scale deep testing was conducted in the Oconee River Valley in Piedmont Georgia prior construction of the Wallace Reservoir (DePratter 1983). This survey used posthole diggers to find buried sites up to 2 m deep employing both intuitive and systematic testing strategies. The intuitive method surveyed landforms thought to be favorable for occupation, such as the levees (DePratter 1983). The systematic method sampled randomly selected quadrants within a portion of the reservoir. The intuitive method was highly successful, and the systematic method showed a reasonable estimate of sites within the sample area. The stream channel location is influenced by geologic structure and the stream gradient by lithologically controlled knickpoints (Brook 1981). The stratigraphy recorded along the Oconee River was used to distinguish seven different periods of deposition and erosion (Brook 1981). O'Steen (1996) recognized that lithic resources are the most influential factor in the distribution of Early Archaic and Paleoindian sites along the Oconee River Valley. River hydrology was also an important factor in site distribution, as 63 percent of Paleoindian and Dalton sites were located at shoals (rapids) and Early Archaic sites are twice as dense near shoals (O'Steen 1996). The importance of shoals is attributed to the proximity of resources from different ecosystems in the narrow river valley and the sheltered nature of this part of the valley. Gunn (1991) also recognized the role of stream hydrology when he summarized the results of earlier surveys (Abbott 1987; Claggett and Cable 1982; Coe 1964) to suggest the potential for site preservation at narrows and along elbows of Piedmont streams. …
Research Report No. 16, Research Laboratories of Archaeology, University of North Carolina at Cha... more Research Report No. 16, Research Laboratories of Archaeology, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Reports in this series discuss the findings of archaeological excavations and research projects undertaken by the RLA between 1984 and present.
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