The Gehring Site: An Analysis of a Middle Woodland Lithic Assemblage in the American Bottom Katie Leslie

Hypotheses Trade or migration Determine regions of interaction Phase Purpose of site

Middle Woodland Time frame – 150 BC to AD 350 “People of colors and glitter” (Fortier 2008) – Variety of colors – Variety of chert types Fortier 2008

Movement Patterns Trade, migration, direct procurement Equifinality Literature unclear

Surface Collection -85 acres -30,000 piece lithic assemblage Test units -Six 2x2 meter units -Plowzone -Screening -Features

Features Feature 102, Feature 104 Excavation methods -First half in one level -Second half in cultural episodes -Screening -Floatation samples

Methods -Comparative collection -Heat- treatment -Tool versus debitage -Counts -Weights -Unidentified

Feature Results Local chert types -Burlington -Chouteau -Salem -Glacial till

Non-local chert types – Grimes Hill – Cobden/Dongola – Kaolin – Ste. Genevieve – Mill Creek

Debitage – Core reduction 33 flakes – 64% Burlington – Bifacial reduction 51 flakes – 53% Burlington – Shatter 51 flakes – 69% Burlington

Blades -58% of tool assemblage -Characteristics -Parallel sides -Ridges -Technology Flake Tools -15% of tool assemblage -Expedient -Re-sharpening

Results Hoe Flake – 15% of tool assemblage – Sharpening hoes – Polish Scrapers -4% of tool assemblage -Retouching -Burlington -Norton reworked into scraper -Glacial Till -Exhausted humpback scraper -Ste. Genevieve -Side scraper

Results Spear Points – 5% of tool assemblage – Norton Ste. Genevieve – Unidentified Burlington – Etley Burlington Cores -3% of tool assemblage Bipolar reduction – Heat-treated Burlington Multidirectional – Burlington

Middle Woodland Diagnostics of Plowzone and Surface Plowzone – 49 blades Surface – 121 blades – Waubesa point – Dickson point

Conclusion Holding Phase Farming – Hoe flakes Tool production site? Trade versus migration Regions of interaction – Southern Illinois, Illinois river valley, southwestern Illinois Trade versus migration?

Acknowledgments I want to thank Dr. Holt for all of the wisdom that she shared, without her guidance this research would not have been possible Larry Kinsella for making my comparative collection without which the unidentified category would be much larger. Miranda Yancey and Ken Farnsworth for looking over my first attempts at lithic analysis and for guiding me in the right direction.