Field Notes

CONSERVANCY Field Notes

Student researcher Grace Cameron exposes a room floor during a University of Vermont field school at Fourmile Ruin. The excavations were the first at the site in a century.

New Research at Fourmile Ruin

SOUTHWEST—Recent excavations at Fourmile Ruin revealed evidence of migrants and long-distance exchange. Located in eastern uplands of Arizona, the 14th-century Anasazi village was, in its heyday, the largest site in the area and a possible production center for the iconographic-style pottery that shares its name. Last summer, a field school directed by archaeologist Scott Van Keuren of the University of Vermont conducted the first professional test excavations at this Conservancy preserve in more than a century.

Van Keuren’s excavations—the first since Jesse Walter Fewkes’ work in 1896— have begun to clarify the construction sequence and layout of domestic and ritual structures. The extent of adobe brick construction is especially surprising. This technology, which wasn’t used in this area, indicates that a large group of migrants arrived in the early 14th century and occupied a pre-planned set of room blocks.

The excavations also recovered an unexpected amount of obsidian, a volcanic glass used in the manufacture of projectile points in the Southwest. The Fourmile obsidian was obtained from sources located some 120 miles to the northwest. This evidence reveals that the village was tied into a far-reaching exchange network, one that may have also circulated painted pottery, cotton textiles, and other goods.

Excavations planned for 2009 will further investigate the nature of trash deposits in ritual structures and adjacent plaza areas. The research is supported in part by a grant from the National Science Foundation.

Tsama Pueblo Expanded

SOUTHWEST—The Conservancy’s Tsama Pueblo site was recently expanded as the result of the generous donation of a 12-acre tract of land that includes well-preserved examples of pre-Columbian agricultural features. Tsama, located near the Rio Chama in north-central New Mexico, is a large spring • 2009

Middle Coalition and Rio Grande Classic Period pueblo that consists of three large architectural units containing more than 1,000 rooms. The pueblo was probably occupied at the time of Spanish Contact and its occupants are considered to be the ancestors of the modern residents of Ohkay Owingeh (formerly known as San Juan Pueblo) and Santa Clara pueblos.

During the Coalition period (a.d.1200-1325), the Puebloan peoples in the northern Rio Grande began building gravel mulch garden plots. These plots, which were arranged in grids made of cobble, reduced water erosion while allowing alluvial soils to build up. They also provided for a more level surface for growing crops and, by retaining more moisture, increased yields.

Intensive agricultural strategies were employed in pre-Columbian times using mulches, soil, and water retention devices such as stone terraces and check dams. Fields were worked until their fertility declined, then they were temporarily abandoned for more productive ones.

The lowlands along the Rio Chama, which are still farmed today, served as Tsama Pueblo’s primary agricultural areas. During the Rio Grande Classic Period (1325-1600) however, an extensive series of gravel mulch garden plots and water diversion and collection areas were also built along the edges of the river terraces overlooking flood plains. These areas were likely developed in the event that bad weather diminished production in the river valley.

The Tsama preserve includes examples of both gravel mulch garden plots and surface water control and containment features. Research at agricultural sites in the Northern Rio Grande region can contribute to an understanding of the Puebloan agricultural landscape as it was developed in the 13th century and through its evolution into the mid 16th century.

Fieldwork Opportunities

Elden Pueblo Project, Arizona April 15–October 10, 2009. Elden is a 65 room pueblo with trash mounds, smaller pueblos, kiva, a large community room, and numerous pit houses. Participants will collect and confirm data and stabilize the pueblo. Recent excavations have uncovered information about the construction sequence of the site, late Sinagua social organization, subsistence, and its role as a major trade center. Indications of long-term eruptions by Sunset Crater Volcano could contribute to new geological and archaeological interpretations for the region. Contact Lisa Edmonson (928) 527-3452, eldenpueblo@npgcable.com

Heckleman Archaeological Project, Ohio June 8–July 10, 2009, Ohio. The Cleveland Museum of Natural History’s Department of Archaeology will investigate Heckleman, a multicomponent, prehistoric site. The Heckleman site was first investigated in the late 1960s and 1970s and archaeologists found evidence of a large ditched enclosure and numerous Early and Middle Woodland (ca. 500 b.c. to a.d. 400) features. The Middle Woodland artifact assemblage closely resembles Ohio Hopewell materials from southern Ohio and includes Flint Ridge bladelets and expanded stemmed points as well as finely cord-marked ceramics. Participants will investigate the possible village enclosure as well as systematically sample Woodland period features detected during a recent geophysical survey. Contact Brian G. Redmond (216) 231-4600, x3301, bredmond@cmnh.org

Historic Mount Vernon, Virginia January 1, 2009–January 1, 2010. Research has been conducted at Mount Vernon, George Washington’s home, since 1987. The project focuses on a number of themes, including African-American and plantation archaeology, landscape studies, material culture studies, museum education, and public outreach. An unpaid internship program offers high school, undergraduate, and graduate students an introduction to archaeological methods and techniques in the field and the laboratory. Volunteers are also welcome. No previous archaeological experience is required. Contact Curt Breckenridge (703) 799-6303, cbreckenridge@mountvernon.org

Community Archaeology Project, New York July 13–July 24, 2009. The Community Archaeology Program offers a professionally supervised opportunity for non-archaeologists to participate in research projects. Each summer, Binghamton University offers a session for people 13 years old and older and one for children 10 to 12 years old. During the 2009 summer sessions, Binghamton will continue its research within the Upper Susquehanna River Valley, focusing on a multi-component site dating from the late Archaic (4500-1500 b.c.) and Late Woodland periods (a.d. 9001650). Participants will assist in the collection of data on activities, subsistence, and settlement that will contribute to our understanding of life in the Upper Susquehanna Valley during the period when hunters and gatherers roamed the valley, and later as people transitioned to settled village life. Contact Nina Versaggi (607) 777-4786, nversagg@binghamton.edu