1966 Speth (Worley Earthwork)

8/2/2019 1966 Speth (Worley Earthwork)

1/10

/

THE WHORLEY EARTHWORHJohn D. Speth

For three weeks in July and a single weekend in September, 1965,excavations were conducted by the Museum of Anthropology of the Uni-versity of Michigan at the Whorley Earthwork, 20 BR 6, located on theeast shore of Gilead Lake, Section 7, T. 8S., R: 7 W. in Branch County,Michigan. The crew consisted of Edward Rutsch of New York Universi-ty, Douglas Bridges and David Hall of the University of Michigan, andwas directed by the author. .

In plan view the earthwork approximates a semicircle with aradiusof 135 feet o p e ~ i n g to the north toward the lake (Figure 1). Both armsor extensions of the earthwork terminate 10 to 15 feet from the bank ofthe lake, blending imperceptibly into the surrounding terrain. The totalarea bounded by the structure (plaza) is nearly 45,300 square feet or.slightly over one acre. The embankment ranges in width from a mini-mm ? of 10 feet in the south, where a road has removed or leveled aportion of the structure, to a maximum of more than 20 feet along por-tions of the east extension, where the road has also caused distortion ofthe original profile. Maximum relief of the embankment ranges between

Ii z i

t : ~ 1 {\ \."\ .

13

;,. ........40 40

SCALE IN fEET

Figure 1. The W ~ o r l e y Earthwork.211

/


2/10

212 MICHIGAN ARCHAEOLOGIST Vol. 12, No.41.0 and 1.5 feet with respect to the plaza and between .5 and 1.0 feetwith respect to the exterior. Shape in cross section is variable rangingfrom a nearly perfect normal curve to a slightly skewed form with thesteep slope toward the interior. The presence of a ditch is suggested atfrequent intervals along the exterior" especially in the southeast, by"mucky" soil indicating a slight depression. Excavation revealed asecond rather small ditch along the interior .flank partially or completely buried bene8,-th the bulk of the earthwork. No gates or entranceways could be discerned on the s u r f a ~ e and none were exposed duringthe course of the excavation. The site occupies a slight rise in the localmorainic topography surrounded by swales on the east and south and bya rather gentle downslope on the west. To the north the bank of the 'lakedrops rapidly 8 to 10 feet and levels out on the modern beach. The bankis presently covered with cobbles hauled from nearby fields. A briefsurvey of the area and discussions with local' residen ts disclos ed nomounds or significant surface finds other than the earthwork itself. Anoccasional projectile point ha s been found along the shore of the lakeand innearby fields.

Work was begun with a series of trenches at the north end of theeast extension which had the highest relief and was relatively free ofdense vegetation. Considerable time was spent in delineating postmoldsand charred post fragments on the embankment allowing insufficienttime for adequate testing of the plaza and exterior. Obviously, a greatdeal of additional work is necessary before any conclusive statementscan be made regarding the nature, uses, and cultural affiliations of theearthwork. 'Two 10 by 24 foot trenches were laid out perpendicular to the em bankment, separated from each other by four feet of balk maintainedfor stratigraphic control. Trench East I (designated TE I) wa s excavated in horizontal units of 0.1 foot depth pe r unit. TE I was subsequently divided into TE Ia and TE Ib to facilihlte the location and de lineation of postmolds and charcoal distribution. TE IT wa s excavatedin vertical profile units parallel to the axis of the earfuwork to an arbitrary depth in the sterile .reddish-brown sand clay and gravel (level 5)beginning in the extreme east of the trench and working toward Datum Iin one foot increments. Both techniques proved inadequate and wereabandoned in favor of units corresponding to the natural stratigraphy ofthe site as determined in the balk and by texture and color changes inthe fill. This method wa s preferable because depressions in the original surface of the earthwork became filled with humus which, when excavated in arbitrary horizontal units, produced numerous pockets of darkfill often resembling and easily confused with features and postmolds.Vertical profiles parallel to the axis provided little data not readily obtained from the section exposed in the balk and were inadequate for locating postmolds. They were used, instead, to confirm the presence offeatures once delineated by other means. For additional stratigraphic

/

1966 THE WHORLEY EARTHWORK

/TEIVTE VIII...n/ .~ . . TE IX ~ - P - - - - ~ ~ " , ~ , , ~ ~ ~ - - ~ ; - "

TE III "iE VIITE X !TE XI/\:

10 0scale in feet

KEY POSJMOLD~ : . CHARRED POS,J

I FRAGMENTS

\0,

iTE VI1 -_2

3 -4-i v ~ ~ ! ~ : ) W j

&n.Itf 2 /I !. .. .": a:,

213

"--

Figure 2. Excavation Units Showing Postmolds and Charcoal Distribution.


3/10

214 MICHIGAN ARCHAEOLOGIST Vol. 12, No.4control, a soil test pit was excavated well i,nto level 5 to the east of theearthwork (Figure 2).

The sod (level 1) wa s stripped from the various trenches andscreened to check for cultural material at , or immediately beneath, thesurface. No such material w a s ~ f o u n d . Below the sod throughout thesite was a level of grayish-black sandy loam (level 2) ranging from 0.2to 0.6 foot in thickness and containing considerable organic malter. Onthe embankment i t s ~ l f , level 2 graded into the underlying light yellowish-brown sandy loam (level 3) which constituted the major constructional unit of the earthwork. Level 3 ranged from 0.7 to 1.5 feet inthickness at the crest pinching out laterally toward the flanks and to thenorth 8 to 10 feet from the bank of the lake. This unit consisted offineto medium, subrounded, clear quartz sand with virtually no gravel.Underlying level 3 on the earthwork and underlying level 2 elsewherewas a culturally sterile light yellowish-brown -sandy silt and gravellevel 4) ranging in thickness from less than.O.2 foot in TE XII, to 0.8foot in TE Ib, to a maximum of over 1.0 foot in the plaza and on the ex terior. Beneath level 4 was an undetermined thickness of culturallysterile reddish-brown sandy clay ~ n d gravel (level 5).No soil horizon waS found underlying the structure between level3 and level 4. The irregular nature of the superface of level 4 beneaththe earthwork, the marked thickening of _level 4 immediately beyond theflanks of the earthwork, and it s correspondingly more regular superface beyond the flanks suggest that the proposed location of the structure was stripped of sod prior to construction. Subsequently, a rela:tively small quantity of fill may have been scraped toward the center ofthe location forming an outer and an inner ditch on either side of asmall central ridge (Figure 3). Additional material wa s needed to buildup the total mass of the embankment. _ The low organic and pebble content of level 3 suggests that the fill was not obtained directly from thesurrounding morainic terrain, but, instead, was derived from the lakeor other suitable source. Both ditches were virtually obliterated bysubsequent erosion and slump and were evident only occasionally on thesurface.

Postmolds were found in a line parallel to the axis and 1.5 to 2.5feet west of the crest of the earthwork in TE VI and TE XII (Figure 2).

.9i

.sCALf: IN FrET

Figure 3. Cross Section A-B. Se e Figure 2 fo r Location.

/

1966 THE WHORLEY EARTHWORK 215Molds in plan view averaged 0.3 foot in diameter and were slightlyelliptical (molds 1,2,3 and4 trended north-south; molds 5 to 18 trendednorthwest-southeast), The distance between postmolds averaged approximately 0.85 foot measuring center to center and in vertical profileindicated postconstructional slump to the south and southeast at anangle equal to or less than 30 degrees from the vertical. Post bases weretapered ranging from broadly rounded to sharply pointed, the latterpredominating. Post bases generally extended between 0.4 and 0.6 footbelow the superface of level 2 into level 3, seldom penetrating level 4,and never reaching level 5. How fa r below the original surface of theearthwork the posts extended is unknown. The molds consisted of fineto medium sand high in organic content bu t without cultural material orcharcoal. The vertical profile of the earthwork indicated a definite depression two to three feet in width and less than one foot in depth paralle l to the axis on the interior flank. All of the postmolds were discovered in the depression (Figure 3). In the north half of TE Ib the depression had been destroyed by erosion and slump. In the south half ofTE Ib, TE III, and TE V, large sections of charred posts were found lying within the depression. Illuviated carbon from the posts produced auniformly dark zone beneath the depression, virtually obliterating anytrace of postmolds. Molds were clearly recognized only where thecharred remains of posts were not found. Apparently only those postsor post fragments which fortuitously collapsed more or less parallel tothe axis and subsequently came to rest in the depression were preserved. The almost total absence of charcoal of any size within the depression as well as on the flanks in the south half of TE VI TE XIIsuggests that perhaps only restricted portions of the structure burned.The burned fragments were of Quercus rubra L. (Red Oak), Ostryav i 7 ~ g i n i a n a (Mill.) K. Koch (American Hop-Hornbeam), Fraxinus ameri-cana L. (White Ash) and Betula sp . (Birch) in order of decreasingabundance. The taxonomic nomenclature is based on Gray's Manual ofBotany (Fernald 1950). Post fragment 15, Ostrya virginiana (Mill.) K.Koch, from TE V (Figure 4), was submitted to the Radiocarbon Laboratories of the University of Michigan (Sample M-1758); a date of A.D.1080 :: 100 wa s obtained. Two nearly complete posts, Post A of re d oakand Post B of American hop-hornbeam, were clearly evident from thecharcoal distribution (Figure 4). Post A yielded a minimum length of- 7.3 feet and Post B yielded a mjnimum length of 7.0 feet. Th e postsranged from approximately 0.4 foot in diameter at the base to 0.25 footin diameter at the apex from north to south indicating that the posts fellfrom the north. The fragments of white as h and birch formed four generically distinct clusters oriented conSistently oblique to or perpendicular to the posts and situated on the interior side of Post B. Cluster 1,at the north end of the distribution, consisted of two fragments of birchwith a combined length of approximately 1.1 feet and an average diameter of 0.2 foot. Cluster 2 consisted of eight fragments of as h with a


4/10

216

T E Ib

CLUSTER 1 {\.

T E v

Scale

T E

o

MICHIGAN ARCHAEOLOGIST Vol. 12, No.4

POST B

III

TE l a

DATUM IX

BAL'K

Ostrya virginiana

F"axinus americana_ Betula sp.o RadiocarbonSample M 1758

In Feet

Figure 4. Charcoal Distribution.

/

1966 THE WHORLEY EARTHWORK 217

A

BPlate 1. Charcoal Distribution. A, Partially Exposed ChaJ;'coal Distribution;

B, Posts A and B in TE V.


5/10

218 MICHIGAN ARCHAEOLOGIST Vol. 12, No.4combined length of 3.8 feet; but on the basis of th e diameters and positions of the fragments, the cluster perhaps should be subdivided intothree sections (a, b and c) with lengths of 1.4 feet, 1.1 feet and 1.3 feetand diameters of 0.2 foot, 0.2 foot and 0.1' foot, respectively. Cluster 3consisted of five fragments of l1irch with a combined length of 1. 7 feetand an average diameter of 0.15 foot. Cluster 4, at the south end of thedistribution, consisted of three fragments of as h with a combined lengthof 1.8 feet and an average diameter of 0.15 foot. Therefore, six clusters ranging from 1.1 to 1.8 feet-in length with a combined average diameter of 0.16 foot were distributed over a distance of approximately5.7 feet yielding an average distance between clusters of 0.95 foot.'


6/10

220 MICHIGAN ARCHAEOLOGIST Vol. 12, No.4interiors. Profiles and surface treahnent of the rims ar e shown inPlate II. Detailed descriptions of the rims ar e given in Table I. Because of the exceedingly small sample, no attempt was made to type theceramics from the site; however, the overall ceramic assemblage suggests a Late Woodland cultural"placement. This is further supported bythe radiocarbon date of 1080 A.D.Lithic Material

Four triangular points were found during the course of the excavation, two in TE VII (Nos. 1 and 2), a third in TE vm (No.3), and afourth somewhat triangular retouched flake in TE VI (No.4). Nos" 1, 2,and 3 fall well within the range of Madison points described by Ritchie(1961) and can be assigned to materials readily available from the localmorainic deposits. No. 4 is manufactured from a chert of unknownsource. A Single scraper (No.5) also manufactured from chert of unknown origin completes the list of lithic artifacts from the site.

Chippage was relatively scarce, totaling less than 250 grams. Atleast nine categories of material were represented, seven of whichwere definitely of local origin. Local materials were represented byboth cores and flakes; non-local materials were represented only byoccasional flakes and by finished artifacts. Descriptions of the artifactsand chippage ar e given in Tables II and TIl, respectively.Summary and Conclusions.

More than 100 earthworks enclosed on at least three sides ar e re corded in the Atlas of Michigan Archaeology (Hinsdale 1931) and i l 1 ~ thesite files of the University of Michigan. Undoubtedly, many such structures remain undiscovered or unrecorded and many have been destroyed. The earthwork remains an enigma in Michigan archeology.Interest ha s been dominated by the more "productive" sites. A few ofthe larger earthworks in Alcona, Missaukee and Ogemaw Counties havebeen mapped and tested repeatedly (Hinsdale 1924, 1925; Greenman1927a, 1927b; Dustin 1932; Moll, Moll and Cornelius 1958; Cornelius andMoll 1961). Earthworks throughout the rest of Michigan remain almosttotally ignored with the exception of test excavations in 1937 (Quimby1965) at a structure in Muskegon County. Few radi.ocarbon dates havebeen obtained, and published descriptions of the ceramics ar e virtuallynonexistent. No earthworks have been investigated in their entirety.

The Whorley Earthwork was definitely palisaded with posts of undetermined height se t in a shallow depression along the interior flank ofthe embankment. The open north side of the enclosure, the rather widegaps between posts and the absence of a moat suggest that the primaryfunction of the earthwoi'k wa s not defensive. The earthwork may wellhave been some form of ceremonial enclosure, perhaps a dance circle,periodically swept clean of cultural debris which gradually accumulatednear the periphery of the plaza. The evidence provided by the initial

/

1966 THE WHORLEY EARTHWORK 221

A

B

) IIc

Plate II. Cultural Material from Whorley Earthwork. A, Lithic Artifacts;B, Ri m Sherds; C Drawings of Rims and Rim Profiles.


7/10

Rim Provenience

1 TE I I

2 TE I I

3 TE IV

CatalogueNumber

71005

71005

71014

Max. Ri mThickness

6.0 mm .

5.0mm

9.0 mm .

TABLE I - RIM SHERDSBodyThickness I Ri m Height

4.0 mm . I 14.0 mm .

4.5 mm . I 4.0 mm .

6.5 mm . I 12.0 mm

' ' '--,

DescriptionLip rounded; rim vertical with exterior thickening; exterior cordmarking extending on tolip, over stamping both sets oblique to rim,mutually perpendicular.Lip flat to slightly rounded; r im vertical orslightly incurved, flat interior thickening ex tending below lip 3.5 mm.; exterior cordmarking extending slightly on to lip, oblique to rim,upward to left.Li p pointed to slightly rounded; ri m verticalor slightly outcurved with rounded exteriorthickening; body outcurved; no cordmarking;cordwrapped stick impression on exteriorthickening, oblique to r im, upward to left,length of impression 5.0 mm., width of impres.,sion 2.5 mm., diameter of single cord element1.0 mm., number of wraps per centimeter 7,space between wraps 0.5 mm.; incisions paralle l to ri m between ri m thickening and body,depth of incisions 1. 0 rom., width of incisions1.0 mm.; two sets of incisions on body, mutually perpendicular, initial se t oblique to rim, up ward to left, overincised se t oblique to rim,upward to right, incisions made with pointedor wedge-shaped implement, depth of incisions1.0 mm., width of incisions 1.0 to 1.25 mm.,average spacing between incisions 2.5 mm .Lip pOinted to rounded, undulating surface; r ~ m vertical or slightly i,ncurved, interior or rI m

straight to concave, exterior of rim sharplythickened; body outcurved; exterior cordmarking extending on to lip, perpendicular to rim;two sets of cordwrapped stick impressions,

tvtvtv

1-1(' )p::Q

(' )p::>I;!:jooQ1-1001-3


8/10

224 MICHIGAN ARCHAEOLOGIST Vol. 12, No, 4 1966 THE WHORLEY EARTHWORK 225TABLE I I -

Artifact Provenience Catalogue Length WidthNumberNo.1 TE VII 71024 2.4 cm., tip missing 2.3 cm., right cor-projected length ner missing, pro-3.8 cm. jected width 2.6 cm .

LITHIC ARTIFACTSThickness Left Side Right Side Base Type Description0,5 cm, straight straight straight, Madison: Chert, type 1 (cor-slightly Ritchie tical variety) whiteoblique to (1961) to light grayish-central whi te , opaque ,axis small angular in -

1.8 cm., left corner -No.2 TE VII 71024 3.0 cm. missing, projectedwidth 2.2 cm.

clusions of quartz,dull, granular.0,4 cm , straight straight. straight Madison: Chert, type 1 (cor-Ritchie t ical variety) white(1961) to l i gh t gray ,opaque, dull, gran-ular; thin (lessthan 0,5 mm.) con-centric laminae,dark gray, concave2.3 cm . iNo.3 TEVIll 71028 2.7 cm., tip missingproj ected length3.8 cm .toward tip,0,45 cm, straight straight slightly Madison: Chert, type 1 (coreexcurvate Ritchie variety) gray with(1961) blended streaks of

/ very dark gray,opaque to slightlytransluscent alongthin edges, vitre-ous; material maycomprise distincttype not represent-No, 4 TE VI 71020 2.3 cm. 2.0 cm . ed in chipage.0,35 cm , slightly slightly incom- Madison? Chert, type 3, darkexcurvate excurvate plete or gray with vaguebroken mottles of gray,opaque to slightlytransluscent alongthin edges, semi-v i t r eous ; wasteflake bifacially re -touched; rejectedprior to comple-tion or subsequent-TE VII 71025 3.9 cm . 2.6 cm.o. 5 ly broken.0.6 cm . bilateral Chert, type 9, darkscraper r edd i sh -b rown ,

opaque, semivitre'-ous; waste flakeb i f ac i a l l y r e-touched; minu tehinge fractures ofuncertain or i g i nalong both re -touched edges.


9/10

226 MICHIGAN ARCHEOLOGIST Vol. 12, No.4TABLE III - CHIPPAGE

Type Quantity Weight Material Sut;lrce DescriptioniGrams) .1 41 120 Chert Local Nodular; cortex very pale(morainic) b rown , y e l l o w i s h - w h i t ~ ,light grayish-white, opaque,dull, slightly granular tosmooth; core gray, occa-sionally white, opaque,vitreous.

2 15 73 Chert Local Bedded; matrix yellowish(morainic) brown, light brown, opaque,dull,slightly porous, gran-ular; interbedded che r tgray, dark gray, opaque,vitreous.3 13 6 Chert Non-local Very dark gray, grayishblack, slightly mottled gray,opaque, vitreous; possiblefire heating.4 4 22 Quartzite Local Very pale brown, white,(morainic) yellowish-white, grayish-white, opaque, dull, gran-ular, massive.5 4 2 Chert Local Gray, slightly mottled dark(morainic) gray, opaque, dull, slightly" granular to smooth.6 3 6 Chert Local Red, reddish -b r owru, light(Morainic) r e d d i s h ~ g r a y , opaque, dullto slightly vitreous, slightlygranular to smooth; possi-ble fire heating.7 2 5 Hema- Local Dark redd ish -b rown,tite? (morainic) opaque, dull, slightly gran-ular, earthy.8 1 4 Chert? Local Light gray, opaque, dull,(morainic) granular, poor conchoidalfracture.9 1 6 Chert Non-local (See description of scraperabove.)

/

1966 THE WHORLEY EARTHWORK 227oexcavations at the Whorley Earthwork is at best suggestive of a cere

monial function but is fa r from conclusive and warrants further, moreextensive investigation.Acknowledgments

Sincere thanks go to Jon Whorley, owner of the site, for hi s kindpermission to excavate and for hi s assistance ii1 photography and inmapping; to Richard 1. Ford and to Fe l V. Brunett for botanical identifications; to Diane Foster for. drawings of the ri m sherds; to GeorgeStuber for drawings of the maps; and to Dr. James E. Fitting for hisvaluable assistance in preparing the manuscript. Field and laboratorywork was supported by National Science Foundation Grant GS-666.

REFERENCESCornelius, Eldon and Harold W. Moll

1961 The Walters-Linsenman Earthwork Site. The Totem P o l ~ , Vol. 4,4,No.9, pp. 1-9. Detroit.Dustin, Fred1932 Report on Indian Earthworks in OgemawCounty, Michigan. Cran-

brook Institute oj SCience, Scientijic Publication, No. 1. BloomfieldHills.Fernald, Merritt L.1950 Gray's Manual oj Botany. Eighth edition. American Book Company,New York.Greenman, Emerson F.1927a Michigan Mounds with Special Reference to Two in Missaukee

County, Michigan. Papers oj the Michigan Academy oj St ience , Artsand Letters, Vol. 7 (1926), pp. 1-9. Ann Arbor.1927b The Earthwork Inclosures oj Michigan. Ph . D. dissertation, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor.Hinsdale, Wilbert B.1924 The Missaukee Preserve and Rifle River Forts. Papers oj theMichigcln Academy oj Science, Arts and Letters, Vol. 4. Ann Arbor.1925 Primitive Man in Michigan. Michigan Handbook Series, No. 1. AnnArbor1931 Archaeological Atlas of Michigan. Michigan Handbook Series. NO.4.Ann Arbor.

Moll, Harold W., Norman G. Moll and Eldon S. Cornelius1958 Earthwork Enclosures in Ogemaw, Missaukee and Alkona Counties,Michigan. The Totem Pole. Vol. 41, No.3. Detroit.Quimby, George I.1965 An Indian Earthwork in Muskegon County, Michigan. Michigan. Archaeologist, Vol. 1l, Nos. 3-4, pp. 165-169. Ann Arbor.Ritchie, William A.1961 A Typology and Nomenclature for New York Projectile Points. NewYork State Museum and Science Service Bulletin, No. 384. Albany.


10/10

/

USING THE IBM 7090 IN THE CLASSIFICATIONOF GROUND STONE TOOLS

Elizabeth M. SternThe Museum of Anthropology Great Lakes Division has in it s pos

session approximately 800 ground stone woodworking tools, axes, celts,and adzes, collected and contributed to the museum by the amateurs ofthe state of Michigan. These tools ar e accompanied by little information which would'indicate either their ages or cultural origins. In mostcases, they ar e marked only with the counties in which they were found.In September, 1965, I began to study these tools in hopes of establishinga typology for them which would enable me to investigate the differencesbetween woodworking tools used by Indian groups to the north and southof the Carolinian-Canadian edge in Michigan.From the beginning, I intended to use the University's IBM 7090 toanalyze my data, so I began my study by setting up a code for the toolswhich would serve as criteria for classification. I included 20 variables which I thought might expose differences and similarities betweenthe tools. Each variable corresponded to one characteristic of eachtool, fo r example the shape of it s cross-section, the type of wear on thebit, the type of stone from which it wa s made. Each variable containedtwo or more mutually exclusive categories, Le., the particular characteristic which a single tool might have at each variable. Fo r example,the variable "shape of cross-section" contained nine categories: "circular," "oval," "rectangular," etc. Seven variables were qualitative andmeasurements were placed directly on the cards; the computer was al lowed to create it s own categories for these variables by dividing therange between the smallest and largest values into 20 equal categories(See Table 1 for complete ,code.).

After coding, the characteristics of each tool, and entering this information on IBM data cards, I began my analYSis with the very generous help of Dr. James C. Lingoes of :the Computing Center of the University of Michigan. The first program, MAC III, provided a se t oftables of frequency distribution; these tables gave the numoer of in stances that each category of each variable occurred with any othercategory of any other variable on the same tool. From these tables Ihad hoped to create a -completely objective classification. I reasonedthat if 32 tools happened to be of one "type, " then the number 32- shouldappear on the tables which ( ~ o m p a r e d categories which were characteristic of the "type." That is, if they shared a length/width ratio of 1.8,an oval cross-section, and 3/ 4 grooves, then the number 32 should ap pear on the table which compared all categories' of length-width ratiowith al l categories of cross-section at the interseCtion of 1.8 with

229

1966 Speth (Worley Earthwork)

Documents

Transcript of 1966 Speth (Worley Earthwork)