ANALYTICAL METHODS AND COMPARISON OF PROJECTILE POINTS AND KNIVES FROM WOODLAND AND MISSISSIPPIAN PERIOD CONTEXTS AT THE STATE-LINE SITE (12D18 & 33HA58).

Abstract

The transition between the Woodland Period and the later Mississippian Period was a time of momentous technological and societal change and development for native peoples of the Ohio River Valley. The periods are differentiated by the introduction of maize agriculture, the transition to larger, more sedentary population centers, the adoption of different pottery styles and techniques, and the use of unique lithic tools, among other changes. The State Line Site (12D18/33HA58), situated in the Ohio River Valley on the state boundary between Indiana and Ohio, is a multi-component Native American village site primarily occupied by the Fort Ancient Culture of the Mississippian Period, with evidence of lighter occupation during the Woodland period. The Fort Ancient component may have been vital to the local area and for inter-regional trade, due to its proximity to the Ohio River and a local salt lick. It is one of the densest and most significant prehistoric sites in either state, though previously relatively understudied. Projectile points and Knives (PPKs) are useful for study due to their relative ease of identification, the uniformity of their manufacture within a range of types, and the huge body of comparative data available. Variations in PPK material, design, and wear can be used to help explain site utilization, lithic material sourcing, and migratory patterns that changed during this transition from the Woodland Period into the Mississippian Period. This thesis employs a combination of macro- and microscopic analyses on PPKs recovered from the recent excavations at the State Line Site in order to understand what lithic projectile points and knives (PPKs) from the State Line Site tell us about changing activities across the transition from Woodland to the Mississippian Period. Use wear was identified under low-power microscopy, between 8x and 15x. Each PPK’s geometry was measured, including maximum length, thickness, width, basal width, basal thickness, neck length, neck width and thickness, notch height, notch depth, notch angle, blade angle, weight, and cortex percentage. With this data, this study aims to answer four Hypothesis statements: H1: Supported The typology, manufacture, and use of the State Line Site projectile points vary between Woodland and Mississippian Period contexts. In the Woodland context, PPKs will more frequently have evidence of being used as tools for hunting seasonal game and the butchering process of said game, compared to those projectile points from Mississippian Period contexts. H2: Supported The lithic material of projectile points from Woodland contexts found at the State Line Site varies from that of Mississippian Period context PPKs. Lithic material associated with the Woodland Period will have traveled a greater distance compared to that of the Mississippian Period contexts. H3: Supported Projectile points from Woodland contexts at the State Line Site are often more robust compared to those of projectile points from Mississippian contexts, and the Woodland assemblage has more signs of retouching compared to those of the Mississippian Period assemblage. H4: Falsified The lithic material most often identified in the Mississippian Period contexts at the State Line Site is that of local pebble cherts that are of lesser quality compared to sourced cherts seen with PPKs from Woodland contexts. In most cases, lesser quality cherts may be found to be heat-treated to assist with the manufacturing process of flintknapping to prevent unwanted breakage patterns. This leads to my hypothesis that the Mississippian Period PPK assemblage will contain a greater proportion of artifacts with evidence of heat treatment. The Analysis has provided insight into aspects about not only the changes that took place at the State Line Site during the transition from the Woodland Period into the Mississippian Period, but also more data for a better understanding of how the Ohio River Valley/Midwest of America changed. Groups of the Ohio River Valley moved from using the area for hunting and butchering of game toward large sedentary villages focused on horticulture. Specifically at the State Line Site, the PPK analysis supports that during the Woodland Period, the site was used as a primarily hunting/butchering camp, and during the Mississippian Period was used as a large sedentary village site with hunting and butchering large game taking place elsewhere as hunting pressure of the local area would increase with larger populations.