Feature 20

Description

by H. Trawick Ward

This circular feature measured 3.0 ft by 2.8 ft and had a maximum depth of 1.5 ft. It was located just outside Structure 9 at 224.0R71.5. At subsoil, the pit appeared as a circular patch of dark gray soil with flecks of charcoal and a few fragments of burned clay. This soil was designated Zone 1. During excavation, two turtle carapaces and a deer mandible were recovered from Zone 1, which lay atop a brown sandy loam designated Zone 2. The eastern half of this zone was harder, drier, and contained some orange clay mottled soil. Pockets of gray ash also were noted. As Zone 2 was excavated, the density of animal bones increased, with the greatest concentration occurring near the pit floor. Large potsherds, glass beads, and pieces of lead shot were also recovered. The pit had a slight bell-shaped profile, with the wall, particularly along the eastern edge, sloping outward at the pit bottom.