SEPTEMBER 17, 2005

From: Scott Beld
Sent: Sunday, September 18, 2005
To: Oxbow Archaeologists
Subject: 20MD263 - September 17, 2005

Hi Oxbow Archaeologists,

Marianne, Conrad, Nik, and I made it out to the site yesterday. We continued excavating the 2x3 meter unit we opened last week at 109-110 m west. We excavated the whole 2x3 from 10-20 cm and excavated one unit (2S-110W) to 25 cm. These units continue to produce a relatively high density of flakes, bone fragments and grit-tempered pottery (GTP). Most of the flakes are Bayport chert and there are usually a dozen or more in each unit. We noticed dozens of fish vertebra as well as deer bones and turtle shell. There is quiet a bit of pottery including a cordmarked rimsherd (see Photo 1).

We also recovered more sherds from the fingernail impressed vessel we found a sherdlet from last week (see Photo 2). The piece on the left in the picture is actually two fragments. The one with the notch is either a piece of a rolled over rim or appliqué strip (In the picture, I’ve layed it on top of the of the larger bodysherd where it fits). The top of the sherd is broken so I can’t be sure if it’s a rolled rim or appliqué strip, but I suspect it’s the later. Just below the appliqué/rolling is the trace of an oblique trailed or incised line. If you look closely at the sherd on the right, you can see both horizontal and oblique trailing/incising. The bodysherds from this vessel have a plain surface and we recovered several yesterday. This vessel is likely quiet late (just guessing - A.D. 1400 or later).

So far the material we’ve found in this unit seems to be late prehistoric. It will be interesting to see if we get early Late Woodland material (Upper Mercer flakes, etc.) below this level in the first A-horizon over the next couple weeks!

Plans for this week – Unfortunately, we will not meet this Wednesday. Marianne will be in Texas and I’m going to take Thursday as my day off this week to take a look at Gordon Hall (an 1840’s mansion) near Dexter – so I’ll be working Wednesday. We will be meeting the following Wednesday – I’d like to finish processing Ponton Feature 5 dirt and the 1/8” screen samples we’re bringing back then. In October we’ll try to dig on a few Wednesday evenings!

Next Saturday we’ll continue excavating our units at 20MD263 (or do lab work if it rains).

Hope to see you at the site.

Scott

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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
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