Phase II and Phase III Archaeological Database and Inventory
18MO304 Ege-Layhill
Diagnostic Artifact Data
Features
Summary
The Ege-Layhill Site (18MO304) is a probable Early Archaic & Early Woodland short-term camp located in Montgomery County, Maryland, on the eastern flank of the Piedmont physiographic province. It is situated near the town of Layhill in what is, today, a heavily developed suburban zone that owes its growth in large part to its proximity to Washington DC. A small, unnamed, spring-fed tributary of the Anacostia River flows about 50 meters from the site. The site descends from an exposed knoll to poorly drained soils at its base. Soils at the site consist of Glenville and Manor silt loams.
The Ege-Layhill Site was originally identified during a 1989 Phase I survey for a proposed widening of route MD-182, which runs in a northeasterly direction through Montgomery County. The site was shovel tested on a 15.24 meter (50 ft) interval grid, discovering that it consisted of a shallow, moderate density lithic scatter over an area of about 9,700 square meters. Within the site area, however, two heavy concentrations of artifacts were found. One concentration (Feature A) was located on a so-called first terrace about 20 m north of a small creek running easterly through the area. The second concentration (Feature B) was situated on a postulated second terrace above the first concentration. Features A and B were further investigated with a series of 1 X 1 m test units. One test unit was placed within Feature B, but did not reveal evidence for intact cultural deposits or diagnostic artifacts. Three 1 X 1 m test units were excavated within Feature A. From these investigations, it was determined (it turns out erroneously) that stratified cultural deposits up to 60 cm deep were evident, with four distinct horizons present. Early Woodland finished and unfinished bifaces were recovered from the top two levels. An Early Archaic Kirk point was found in level three and an incomplete “Kirk-like” point was found in level four, the lowest cultural stratum. A natural soil horizon separated the Early Archaic and Early Woodland strata. Additional shovel testing around Feature A suggested that it spanned approximately 10.67 meters (35 ft) north-south by 9.144 meters (30 ft) east-west and this area did not appear to have been plowed. Because of the rarity of Archaic stratified sites in Maryland, especially in the Piedmont region, the Ege-Layhill site warranted Phase II testing.
Artifacts encountered during the shovel testing portion of the Phase I project include 10 formal prehistoric stone tools, 8 bifacially worked quartz pieces, 437 prehistoric flakes, 294 prehistoric pieces of shatter, 1 historic architectural artifact (a brick), 1 historic glass bottle bottom, and 45 miscellaneous historic objects (34 glass fragments, 2 pieces of slag, 4 pieces of coal, and 5 chunks of asphalt). Among the prehistoric tools were a Calvert-like rhyolite point, 6 quartz points or point fragments, and 3 quartz scrapers. Among the flakes there were 6 cortical quartz flakes, 61 quartz primary flakes, 1 jasper primary flake, 168 quartz secondary flakes, 2 quartzite secondary flakes, 1 rhyolite secondary flake, 164 quartz trimming flakes, and 34 unspecified quartz flakes. The collection of shatter consisted of 283 quartz specimens and 11 quartzite. The Phase I test units produced far more prehistoric material, with the only historic objects being 13 activity items (all barbed wire), 1 architectural item (an encrusted nail), 8 kitchen-related artifacts (7 bottle fragments and a porcelain sherd), and 49 miscellaneous objects (28 glass pieces, a piece of plastic wrap, 2 chunks of asphalt, 14 pieces of coal, and 4 pieces of charcoal). The prehistoric artifacts consist of 53 formal tools (2 quartzite Kirk corner-notched points, 7 quartz stemmed points, 17 quartz and 5 quartzite biface fragments or point rejects, a rhyolite biface fragment, 9 quartz scrapers, 2 quartzite scrapers, 5 quartz performs, 3 quartzite and 2 quartz utilized flakes), 28 bifacially worked quartz pieces, 2 bifacially worked quartzite pieces, 2 quartz unifacially worked fragments, 2,463 lithic flakes (27 quartz cortical flakes, 1 quartzite cortical flake, 282 quartz primary flakes, 16 quartzite primary flakes, 2 rhyolite primary flakes, 1,004 quartz secondary flakes, 22 quartzite secondary flakes, 4 rhyolite secondary flakes, 932 quartz trimming flakes, 2 quarzite trimming flakes, 1 rhyolite trimming flake, 1 chert trimming flake, 167 unspecified quartz flakes, and 2 unspecified rhyolite flakes), 1,668 pieces of shatter (1,629 quartz pieces, 36 quarzite pieces, 1 rhyolite piece, and 2 black crystal quartz pieces), 2 pieces of fire-cracked rock, and an oyster shell fragment.
Phase II work at Ege-Layhill was conducted in late 1989. The first stage of field work consisted of laying out a 10 m grid on the site for the purpose of both mapping the site and maintaining horizontal control of the Phase II investigations. An arbitrary datum was placed approximately 2 m southwest of the Phase I test units on the lower slope. From the datum, a transit and tape measure were used to establish grid points at 10 m intervals throughout the site area and measure elevation. Next the field crew excavated a 50 X 50 cm square shovel test at each of the grid points. The shovel test strategy had two goals: 1) to determine the spatial extent of the site; and 2) thoroughly examine the site stratigraphy through the excavation of STPs with a wider area than traditionally used. All STPs were excavated to sterile subsoil, and all soils were screened through hardware cloth. A total of 24 shovel tests were excavated. The initial site area was estimated to be at least 9700 square meters, indicating that a higher number of shovel tests would be necessary to investigate the site. However, during the course of the shovel testing phase it became apparent that much of the locality was extensively disturbed and that the actual site area was on the top of the knoll. Thus, fewer STPs than originally anticipated were needed to meet project goals. Prehistoric artifacts encountered from the Phase II shovel test pits included 1 quartz Piscataway point, another quartz biface, 103 quartz flakes or flake fragments, 1 chert flake fragment, 20 pieces of quartz shatter, and 1 piece of rhyolite shatter. Historic artifacts included 4 pieces of brick, 3 ceramic sherds, 34 pieces of glass, and a piece of metal.
The second stage of subsurface testing consisted of the placement of ten 1 X 1 m test units at locations within the site considered to be potentially useful for understanding the nature of the site occupation. These locations were determined by the results of the shovel tests. Test units were excavated by 10 cm arbitrary levels within natural levels and all soil was screened through hardware mesh. A two-liter flotation sample was removed from each level. After a test unit was completed, one wall of the unit was carefully cleaned and photographed in black and white print and color slide film. Next the profile was drawn with soil descriptions recorded for all evident natural and cultural strata. After the fieldwork was completed, a pedologist made a detailed study of the soils from four of the test units. Flaked stone artifacts encountered within the 1 X 1 m Phase II test units include 1 quartz biface, 4 other quartz biface fragments, 26 quartz cores or core fragments, 3 utilized and 8 retouched quartz flakes, 1,369 quartz flakes or flake fragments, 1 quartzite flake, 1 chert flake, and 403 pieces of quartz shatter. A single piece of fire-cracked rock was also recovered. Historic artifacts recovered in the test units were 4 pieces of brick, 4 pieces of tile, 35 pieces of glass, 4 chunks of asphalt, 10 pieces of metal, and 6 ceramic sherds.
The major noteworthy result stemming from the Phase II investigations on the Ege-Layhill site was the discovery that it did not exhibit evidence for stratified, undisturbed cultural deposits as proposed in the Phase I investigations. This evidence of disturbance even extended into the areas adjacent to Phase I excavation units. Instead, the site has been extensively disturbed by a variety of historic modifications to the landscape. Moreover, the prehistoric occupation represented at this locality appears to be on the top of the knoll, instead of the lower area to the south of the knoll and adjacent to the spring-fed creek. The soil stratigraphy in the units below the knoll indicates that the area immediately north of the creek was a wet and poorly drained slope that was a very unlikely location for prehistoric occupation. The presence of artifacts in this area is attributed to their erosion down from the knoll to the north, with erosion being promoted by past plowing and construction on the knoll.
It is probable that the actual site area of 18MO304 is confined to the top of the knoll over an indeterminate area. Shovel tests and two test units on the knoll disclosed an artifact bearing plow zone about 30 cm thick on top of sterile clay. Thus, no undisturbed (unplowed) stratified deposits were found on the site and the probability of encountering intact features on the plowed knoll is considered low. The site was determined ineligible for nomination to the National Register of Historic Places by MHT and it is not thought to retain any significant research potential.
|
