8. Research News

Recent Dissertation

Hays, Christopher Tinsley
1994 Adena Mortuary Patterns and Ritual Cycles in the Upper Scioto Valley, Ohio. Ph.D. dissertation, Department of Anthropology, State University of New York at Binghamton.

Lecture Series at Hopewell Culture National Historical Park

In an effort to bring research results to a wider public, an open lecture series was offered this summer at Hopewell Culture National Historical Park. The series featured a diverse array of speakers and topics. Berle Clay (State Archaeologist, Kentucky and University of Kentucky) presented an overview of his excavations at the Peter Village site, a large Adena earthwork enclosure in central Kentucky. Bret J. Ruby (Hopewell Culture National Historical Park) presented an abstract of his dissertation research concerning the Mann site and Hopewellian culture history and adaptation in southwestern Indiana. Paul Pacheco (Kent State University) reviewed his research into Ohio Hopewell settlement patterns. James Foradas (Franklin Pierce College) presented an overview of chert sourcing studies and described newly-developed quantitative methods of chert source identification. Robert Connolly (University of Cincinnati) offered an overview of current excavations at the Fort Ancient Earthworks. James A. Brown (Northwestern University) presented an overview of investigations at the Mound City Group. A similar series will be offered during the summer of 1996.

Seip Earthworks

N'omi Greber has recently completed a description and map of more than sixty archeological localities in the vicinity of the Seip Earthworks and Dill Mounds Historic District. The work synthesizes information derived from various institutions and local collectors to provide a baseline synthesis and overview of the rich archeological record surrounding this important Ohio Hopewell mound and earthwork complex. A portion of the study area is currently preserved and protected by the Ohio Historical Society and is open to the public. The study was commissioned by the National Park Service to guide efforts to preserve additional resources in the vicinity as part of the planned expansion of Hopewell Culture National Historical Park.

Fort Ancient

Fort Ancient State Memorial is a large Hopewellian hilltop enclosure in southwestern Ohio managed by the Ohio Historical Society. The Society is planning a major expansion of the existing museum facility located within the enclosure. To avoid or mitigate any impacts to archeological resources as a result of this expansion, the Society and the University of Cincinnati have sponsored an investigation directed by Robert Connolly. During the summer of 1995, field school students and volunteers explored a portion of the earthwork wall adjacent to one of the many "gateway" features that punctuate the enclosure, as well as an apparent habitation area within the enclosure. Ongoing analyses of the investigation promise to shed light on the chronology, nature and function of the enclosure.

Remote Sensing Experiments at the Hopeton Earthworks

In a follow-up of 1994 geophysical surveys near the Hopeton Earthworks, the National Park Service sponsored soil resistivity, conductivity and magnetometry at the Overly site. The surveys were conducted by John Weymouth, University of Nebraska, R. Berle Clay, Kentucky State Archaeologist and University of Kentucky, and Stephen J. Ball, Glenn A. Black Laboratory of Archaeology, Indiana University. The surveys were conducted in advance of excavations by the Ohio State University. Results from this study will be used to refine future geophysical surveys in Ross County, and aid investigators in interpreting geophysical survey data.

Spruce Hill

Legislation enacted in 1992 authorized the expansion of Mound City Group National Monument to include Hopeton Earthworks, Hopewell Mound Group, High Bank Works and Seip Earthworks. The park was renamed Hopewell Culture National Historical Park to reflect this expansion. That same legislation directed the National Park Service to conduct studies of the Spruce Hill Works, Harness (Liberty) Earthworks, and Cedar Bank Works and any other sites significant to Hopewellian culture for the purpose of evaluating the desirability and feasibility of preserving additional sites as units of Hopewell Culture National Historical Park. In response to this directive, Bret J. Ruby and archeologists from Hopewell Culture National Historical Park began a preliminary investigation of the Spruce Hill Works during the fall of 1995. The Spruce Hill Works were first described in 1814 as a stone-walled enclosure encompassing some 140 acres atop a prominent hill overlooking the Paint Creek valley, 12 miles west of Chillicothe, Ohio. The goals of this initial work are to evaluate the nature, significance, integrity and cultural affiliation of the site. Detailed topographic.mapping, survey and limited subsurface testing are underway.

Petrographic Analysis of Ceramic Thin Sections

James B. Stoltman (University of Wisconsin-Madison) has been conducting quantitative petrographic analysis of Middle Woodland ceramics from the Midwestern United States. Stoltman's methods have been published in American Antiquity (Vol. 54, No. 1, p. 147- 160; Vol. 56, No. 1, P. 113-120). The current research has included samples from Marietta, Grimes, Mound City, Seip, Newark, Hopewell, Harness, Turner, Tremper, Russel Brown and the McGraw sites. The on-going study is being conducted to distinguish locally made Hopewell ceramics from non-local vessels. This line of inquiry adds another dimension to the interpretation of Hopewell interaction.

General Management Plan Update

For the past year, Hopewell Culture National Historical Park has been developing a General Management Plan for the park. The plan is intended to guide the management and development of the park over the next 15 to 20 years. This summer, activities focused on the portion of the plan that will guide the development of interpretive or educational programs in the park. A workshop was held in the park and was attended by park staff, National Park Service planners, and specialists in Hopewell archeology. A representative of the Loyal Shawnee Tribe of Oklahoma provided a Native American perspective. The group reviewed current visitor facilities and educational programs and developed recommendations for new facilities, exhibits and programs that will provide visitors with more varied experiences and a more comprehensive understanding of Hopewellian life.

The first draft of the General Management Plan is nearing completion and will soon be available for public comment. If you would like to comment on the plan and participate in the planning process, please contact John Neal, Superintendent, Hopewell Culture National Historical Park, 16062 State Route 104, Chillicothe, Ohio 45601.

Plant Survey Conducted at Hopewell Culture National Historical Park

The National Biological Survey funded a comprehensive plant survey of Hopewell Culture National Historical Park. University of Wisconsin graduate Jennifer Course collected at least one specimen of every tree, shrub and herbaceous plant found in the park. Collecting was done in and around the earthworks at each of the five park units (Hopeton, Hopewell, Mound City, High Bank and Seip). The purpose of the survey was to produce a baseline inventory of the native and introduced vegetation in the park, and to identify any threatened or endangered species. This information will be used to guide natural resource management activities in the park, and will provide a useful point of departure for studies of past and present environmental variability and human ecological adaptation in the region. Some 350 species and 750 specimens have been collected. About 65% of the identified species are native to Ohio. Some of the less common native plants found were Indian Pipe, Golden Seal and Canada Lily.

Archeology on Television

The Arts and Entertainment Network will be showing a feature on the mound sites and archeology in the midwest during November 1995. The feature was partially filmed at the Overly site, Mound City Group, and Hopewell Culture National Historical Site, and features interviews with William Dancey, N'omi Greber and Bret Ruby. Check your local listings for broadcast times.