Thursday, May 21, 2009
I've been out at the sewer plant helping out on our dig. In one area we are about 16 or 17 feet below the modern ground surface. Careful scraping by the backhoe has exposed a large number of pits dating to the San Pedro phase, about 3200 to 2800 years ago.
As the backhoe was scraping, Gaylen spotted the red spear point (below left).
Spear points and a ground stone artifact (click on picture to enlarge).
As I was digging the pit I found the white spear point and the flat, oval ground stone item, which was unfinished and may have been intended as a pendant.
The pit also contained animal bones (jackrabbit, cottontail, rodents, and a deer-sized animal) and the scraps of stone thrown away as tools were made. I also collected a sample of dirt to check for what kinds of pollen were present (pollen lasts forever) and a larger sample of dirt to be dumped in water and the floating charcoal collected- this will tell us what kinds of wood they were using and what kinds of domesticated and wild plants were being eaten.
Science!
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As the backhoe was scraping, Gaylen spotted the red spear point (below left).
Spear points and a ground stone artifact (click on picture to enlarge).
As I was digging the pit I found the white spear point and the flat, oval ground stone item, which was unfinished and may have been intended as a pendant.
The pit also contained animal bones (jackrabbit, cottontail, rodents, and a deer-sized animal) and the scraps of stone thrown away as tools were made. I also collected a sample of dirt to check for what kinds of pollen were present (pollen lasts forever) and a larger sample of dirt to be dumped in water and the floating charcoal collected- this will tell us what kinds of wood they were using and what kinds of domesticated and wild plants were being eaten.
Science!
