JULY 2 & 4, 2005

From: Scott Beld
Sent: Monday, July 04, 2005
To: Oxbow Archaeologists
Subject: Riverbank Testing - July 2 and 4, 2005

Hi Oxbow Archaeologists,

We made it out to our riverbank test units on Saturday and this morning. Saturday was a beautiful day and John, Nik, Dave, Kevin, Greg and I came out. Today John, Nik, Kevin and I made it out but were chased out of the field by thunderstorms at 11:30.

On Saturday, we began excavating another test unit, 60W-South4, to expose more of the “dog burial” (see Photo 1). We excavated the unit to 50 cm and found several artifacts, including sturgeon dermal plate fragments, a turtle shell fragment, flakes, some cordmarked early Late Woodland pottery, and a brass fragment (see Photo 2). We also excavated units 60West and 60W-South2 from 90 to 110 cm and 60W-South from 100 to 120 cm – these levels were sterile.

Today, we started to excavate the “dog burial” in 60W-South4. It became clear quickly that the bones were coming from either a burrow or rodent disturbance. Photo 3 shows a close-up of the bone in what at this level appears to be a rodent burrow – this level is just below the 1st A-horizon. Photo 4 shows the floor at 60 cm (below the ruler – brown silt between the 1st and 2nd A-horizons) and the floor of 60W-South3 at 65 cm above the ruler (2nd A-horizon). Note the in situ bones on the upper right just below the ruler. At this level the bones appear to be coming out of a burrow. Just after this photo was taken the thunderstorm struck and we had to leave the field. When I got home I took a look at my fox skeletons. Some of the bones we are getting seem to be in the size range of a fox but several also seem to be a little larger. I’ll compare them closer on Wednesday – I suspect this may not be a burial but rather an animal that died in its den. Several of the bones we recovered today had unfused epiphyses, particularly the vertebra, indicating that it was a young animal.

On Wednesday we’ll plan on excavating on the riverbank. If it rains we’ll be at the Resource Building.

Hope to see you at the site.

Scott

*************************************************************
Scott G. Beld, Ph.D.
Research Associate II
The University of Michigan Museum of Paleontology
1109 Geddes Road
Ann Arbor, Michigan 48109-1079
Phone: 734-764-0489 (UMMP Main Office)
734-763-9253 (My Office)
Fax: 734-936-1380
Email: sbeld@umich.edu
*************************************************************