We have four new archaeology students working in the lab at CEU cleaning artifacts and learning the basics of lithic analyses. Sarah, Darius, Mariel and Ron are learning to process the lithic, ceramic and ground stone artifacts recovered from Range Creek this summer, and will also work with the faunal remains and plant macrofossils later in the semester. This week they are identifying different types of lithic material found in Range Creek, (such as obsidian vs. chalcedony, chert or quartzite), stage of reduction (percussion flakes with cortex vs. small biface reduction and sharpening flakes made with antler tools), and tool types, such as bifaces, projectile points, scrapers or utilized flakes. The data these students collect from the artifacts will help us identify the different activities that were going on in the pithouse during two different Fremont occupations 1000 and 1200 years ago, and also help us track a possible shift in exchange networks or land use during this time.
Back in Range Creek
Note David Cassidy, CVAS volunteer, with new friend Lucky.
Later in the week we began mapping, setting up an excavation grid, and excavating at the Burnout Village in Range Creek. The Burnout Village is the largest Fremont site in Range Creek, with at least fourteen Fremont pithouses, the remains of at least two stone masonry Fremont "towers," and the foundation of an historic distillery. CVAS volunteer David Cassidy and CEU archaeology student Ron LaBorde helped with mapping, shoveling, trowel work and screening for artifacts. We are putting test units in several pithouses, and have already found a layer with adobe chunks in the first, indicating a thick roof fall level, possibly capping a well-preserved floor. Artifacts found so far include lithic debitage, ceramic sherds and lots of adobe--several chunks still have impression of fingerprints in them from the people who built this habitation about one thousand to eight hundred years ago.
The weather fluctuated between hot and sunny and 90-plus degrees during the middle of the day, and cool and rainy afternoons with nights in the 40s. We left as the rain started again, and the big storm covered the canyon, but will return this weekend to continue excavating. Stay tuned for more exciting discoveries.....
Renee Barlow, Ph.D.
Curator of Archaeology
College of Eastern Utah Prehistoric Museum
451 East 400 North, Price, Utah 84501
phone/voicemail 435-613-5290
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