Phase II and Phase III Archaeological Database and Inventory
18CH380 Area A-3, Site A
Diagnostic Artifact Data
Features
Summary
Site 18CH380 (Area A-3, Site A) is a multi-component prehistoric site which appears to have served as a small or short-term camp during the Late Archaic and Early Woodland and as a more substantial base camp during the Late Woodland. There is also evidence of an ephemeral historic artifact scatter. The site is located northeast of the town of Indian Head in Charles County, Maryland. It occupies a south-facing toeslope and a small flat terrace on the northern edge of an unnamed stream floodplain. The site measures approximately 140 X 210 m and is composed of 5 topographic features occupied by 4 loci of activity. Soils at the site are of the Evesboro series.
The site was originally investigated as part of a large Phase I survey in 1994, prior to the onset of site preparation and construction for the Chapman’s Landing development. The development included the construction of extensive office and retail space, town houses, single-family houses, and a 200-acre golf course. In addition, roads, sewer lines, utilities, and other improvements would lead to significant impacts in the project area. Numerous archeological sites (both prehistoric and historic) were identified as a part of the 1994 study.
During the Phase I survey, a total of 17 shovel test pits (STPs) were initially excavated across the site at 20 meter intervals. These yielded 37 lithic flakes, 6 fragments of block/shatter, and 5 sherds of prehistoric pottery. Once shovel test also contained a metal button. Twenty-one additional shovel tests were excavated around the original positive shovel tests, 16 of which contained additional prehistoric artifacts. These STPs produced 15 flakes, 10 pieces of block/shatter, 5 pieces of fire-cracked rock, 1 hammerstone, and 17 prehistoric sherds. Prehistoric artifacts were recovered from the surface to depths of up to 84 cmbs for lithic artifacts and 60 cmbs for ceramics. Fourteen of the 22 ceramic sherds recovered were identified tentatively. Nine sherds were classified as Moyaone ware, 4 were identified as Potomac Creek ware, and 1 sherd was identified as Popes Creek ware. Lithic materials found on site include quartz, quartzite, and rhyolite. Quartz was by far the dominant material present. Secondary and non-cortical flakes were the most common. None of the recovered flakes showed any evidence of use or subsequent modification.
The stratigraphic context of the majority of artifacts recovered during the Phase I survey suggested the potential for a high level of resource integrity. A determination of the degree of resource integrity, as well as chronological and functional differentiation of the deposits were viewed as crucial to the understanding of the site and the preparation of cultural resource management recommendations. Thus, Phase II testing was recommended for 18CH380.
Researchers returned to the site later that year to conduct the Phase II work. Phase II evaluation included systematic shovel testing of the site in order to define more carefully the horizontal and vertical distribution of different quantities and categories of artifacts. Shovel tests measured approximately 30 cm in diameter, and were excavated to a minimum depth of 40 cmbs or 10 cm into sterile subsoil, except where ground conditions prevented complete excavation. These were placed at 10 meter intervals. Soils were removed by natural strata and screened through hardware cloth. A total of 85 shovel tests were excavated. Fifty-five of the STPs produced prehistoric artifacts.
Based upon the numerical concentrations and types of artifacts recovered during the Phase II intensive shovel testing, as well as data gathered from the Phase I investigation, five topographic features were subjected to test unit excavation. These included an upper terrace and a lower terrace located along the centerline of a proposed access road, a location along a slight slope between the two terraces, a finger ridge located to the west, and a terrace to the east near an existing cable line right-of-way. A total of 10 test units were excavated. These locations fell within the areas of densest artifact concentration. The 10 test units measured 1 X 1 m, and were excavated to a minimum of 10 cm into sterile subsoil or to a minimum of 5 cm into fragipan in non-agrading soil deposits. Soils were removed by arbitrary 10 cm levels following natural stratigraphy and were screened through hardware cloth. Cultural material was recovered from each unit.
A total of 251 prehistoric artifacts were recovered from the Phase II shovel tests, 898 from the formal test units, and 2 were collected from the surface. The Phase II artifacts included 964 lithic artifacts, 172 ceramic sherds, 6 burnt pieces of daub, 4 pieces of burnt bone, and 5 charcoal fragments. The lithic assemblage consisted of a possible Vernon (or Lamoka) point, 4 other bifaces, 20 cores, 1 unifacial side scraper, 2 end scrapers, 14 utilized flakes, 5 retouched flakes, 626 flakes (68 primary, 245 secondary, 311 non-cortical, and 2 biface thinning flakes), 89 pieces of block/shatter, 1 hammerstone, and 199 pieces of fire-cracked rock. The dominant raw material was quartz. None of the ceramic sherds definitively predate the Late Woodland period, although one sherd could be of the Early Woodland Accokeek variety. A total of 78 can be classified as Moyaone, including 69 body sherds and 9 rim sherds. Thirteen sherds can be classified as Potomac Creek, including 11 body sherds, 1 fragment, and 1 rim sherd. One sherd can be identified as the shell-tempered, cordmarked Townsend ware, and another as smoothed and burnished Colono Ware. A total of 78 sherds/fragments were unidentifiable.
Most of the aforementioned charcoal was recovered from one of two clusters of debitage and fire-cracked rock (the only features mentioned in the full report) located in Test Unit 6. A flotation sample was taken from each, but only one yielded identifiable plant species. Most of the charcoal consisted of wood remains, including one oak fragment. Other arboreal specimens include a possible oak gall and various woody twig fragments. In addition, 6 nightshade seeds were identified. Several varieties of nightshade are known to possess narcotic and healing effects. One additional charcoal sample was hand collected from Test Unit 2. This specimen was identified as southern pine.
In general, horizontal distribution of the artifacts is fairly even within 4 of the 5 topographic areas. The only exception was the eastern terrace, where artifact density was much lower. Further differentiation is possible within specific artifact categories. The cores generally tend to cluster within concentrations of debitage. This suggests that distinct reduction areas may be distinguishable. The highest concentration of flake tools appears in a test unit along the western finger ridge. The distribution of fire-cracked rock suggests that hearths or fire pits may have been more numerous or larger along the upper and lower terraces than elsewhere at the site.
Five of the 10 test units exhibited clear evidence of 2 vertical artifact concentrations, one at 6-36 cmbs within the possible Ap horizon that featured lithic and ceramic artifacts, and the other at 30-66 cmbs normally within the C1 horizon (which only featured lithic artifacts). The other five test units exhibited only one vertical artifact concentration, at 0-40 cmbs within the AO horizon and/or the possible Ap horizon, and contained both lithic and ceramic artifacts. The vertical concentrations of artifacts, especially the presence of discrete ceramic and aceramic components, suggest vertical integrity at the site. Within the components, the upper occupation appears to have been impacted by some cultivation, slope wash, and bioturbation disturbances. The overall effects of these disturbances on the upper component may be minimal, in that no mixing with earlier materials appears to have occurred. Vertical integrity for the lower component was confirmed by the presence of the intact fire-cracked rock and debitage cluster features.
The two vertical components suggest the presence of two distinct occupational phases, with the earlier confined to the finger ridge and upper terrace, and the later one throughout the site. Both occupational phases are associated with diagnostic artifacts. The lower artifact concentration was associated with a Lamoka or Vernon point, dating the component to the Late Archaic or Early Woodland periods. The upper concentration was associated with Late Woodland Moyaone and Potomac Creek ceramic sherds. Discrete horizontal patterning of artifacts permits preliminary isolation of activity zones within each of the two prehistoric occupational phases. The earlier component, along the upper terrace, appears to have possessed a greater degree of primary reduction activities than the later phase of occupation. Along the western finger ridge, the two occupational phases featured similar activities. Hearth related activities appear to have been more common in the lower component along the upper terrace, but are similar in both components along the western finger ridge. Later stage lithic reduction and lithic application activities appear to have been less common at the earlier occupation than the later.
Within the prehistoric component at 18CH380, there is sufficient horizontal integrity to differentiate distinct activity areas and sufficient vertical integrity to isolate distinct occupations. The presence of diagnostic artifacts permits the identification of the two vertical phases with the chronologically distinct Late Archaic or Early Woodland, and Late Woodland periods. And specific activities can be associated with specific time periods. Therefore, further work at Site 18CH380 can address substantive research questions in topics possessing a dearth of information; for example, concerning the reduction of quartz and quartzite, and the nature of Late Archaic to Early Woodland upland occupation. Examination of feature contents would offer the prospect of defining more accurately the chronology (through radiocarbon dating) and subsistence practices during the Late Archaic. The site’s prehistoric component should be considered a significant resource.
Five historic artifacts were also recovered from the test units. One came from the AO horizon, 4 came from the Ap horizon. The historic materials included 2 sherds of lighter yellow creamware, 1 sherd of pearlware, 1 lead or copper probable bullet, and 1 piece of slate. The almost complete absence of historic debris from both the Phase I and Phase II investigations indicates that there was little historic activity at the site. The diagnostic creamware and pearlware place the historic activity in the late 18th or early 19th century. The low level of material and the absence of architectural debris suggests a light field scatter probably associated with a farmstead location farther north, higher on the ridge crest. The historic deposit at 18CH380 should not be considered a significant resource.
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