During the week of June 15. 2009, archaeologists from the State Museum of Pennsylvania and Temple University tested a pre-contact Native American site along the Lehigh River in Lehigh Gorge State Park, Carbon County. The site (designated 36CR0142 in the Pennsylvania Archaeological Site Survey files) was brought to our attention by local amateur archaeologists who were alarmed that it was being looted and valuable archaeological information was being lost.
It was reported that artifacts from the Transitional period (3,000-4,200 years ago) and the Late Archaic period (4,200-6,000 years ago) were the focus of the looters. The Transitional/Late Archaic period is a time of significant change throughout the Middle Atlantic region. Native American cultures were experiencing new technological developments, a dramatic increase in trade and the first widespread examples of ceremonialism.
The hallmark of the Transitional period is the broadspear. The one pictured below is of the Perkiomen style and it was recovered less than 3 feet from the surface. The asymmetrical blade suggests it was also used as a knife. We felt it was important to learn more and document this site before it was completely destroyed.
Perkiomen style projectile point.
With the assistance of local volunteers, we conducted a week long investigation to determine the extent of the destruction and the potential for earlier occupations. In addition, as part of our visit, we were hoping to educate the local archaeological community as to the advantages of proper excavation techniques but also to make it clear that further looting would not be tolerated. The site is located on state property and it is protected under Section 511 of the State History Code. Collecting or digging for artifacts on state land is punishable by a $2,500 fine and/or a year in jail.
Over a period of six days, we expanded two looters pits into an 8 X 14 foot unit and a 7 by 7 foot unit. The site is stratified although the top 3 -4 feet have been extensively dug-up by looters. The excavations proceeded by natural and cultural levels and all soils were screened through ¼ inch mesh. The work was hampered by rain storms but one unit was partially excavated to the bottom where a layer of cobbles representing the Ice Age stream bed were encountered. No artifacts were recovered from this depth and we assume this level dates to approximately 12,000 years ago.
This project only sampled a small portion of the site but we have been able to generate several working hypothesis. The site was occupied by at least six different Native American groups between 3,000 and 9,500 years ago and possibly earlier. We were able to develop a good description of the soil stratigraphy and the different occupations can be correlated with distinct soil strata.
Although the Transitional/Late Archaic occupation has been adversely impacted, the Middle Archaic occupation, dating to between 6,000 and 8,500 years ago is largely intact. Middle Archaic times are one of the most poorly understood periods in the region and this site has the potential to greatly increase our understanding of Native American culture during this time. The bifurcate based projectile point (of the LeCroy type) was found at over 4 feet below the surface. In addition, there were artifacts below the Middle Archaic occupation, probably dating to the Early Archaic or even the Paleoindian period and these would also be very significant.
LeCroy style projectile point .
This site clearly has the potential to add new and significant data to our understanding of Native American cultural behavior in the past. Towards that goal, Temple University planned to continue the investigation with a college field school in the summer of 2010.
Learn More!
Looting artifacts, metal detecting, or excavations without a broader research plan poses a risk of destroying archaeological sites. For that reason, state and federal laws are in place to prohibit the collection of artifacts from archaeological sites on public land, unless conducted by a professional archaeologist.
If you want to learn more about how archaeological sites can be ethically recorded in Pennsylvania, check out the Pennsylvania Archaeology Site Survey webpage. There you will find guidance on how to record archaeological sites in your local communities and submit them to SHPO through our PA-SHARE interface.
Also, if you have an archaeological site that you are interested in investigating, we encourage you to reach out to your local university’s anthropology department where a trained archaeologist can assist your research. The Society of Pennsylvania Archaeology has chapters all over the state and conducts research on archaeological sites based on local suggestions and information. The SPA chapter list can be found here.
TWIPA Connection
This post was previously published on the “This Week in Pennsylvania Archaeology” blog on June 26, 2009. It has been reposted here with minor modifications to title and text to clarify that post and related excavations date to 2009, to update time references, and to add the “Learn More!” information.
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