Feature 26 (Burial 13)

Description

by H. Trawick Ward

Pit Morphology

Feature 26 (Burial 13) was located near the northwestern end of the cemetery at 312.0R58.0. As with the other burials in the cemetery, the pit was rectangular in plan; it measured 4.6 ft by 3.2 ft and was 2.3 ft deep. At the top-of-subsoil level, the pit appeared as a stain of mottled gray-brown soil with lenses of orange clay (Zone 1). This zone was 0.8 ft thick. In contrast to the upper fill zones in most of the cemetery burials, Burial 13 contained only a few poorly preserved animal bones and not many artifacts. Perhaps the feasting activities associated with this interment were not as elaborate or intense as was characteristic of many of the other burials. Beneath Zone 1 was an almost sterile mottled clay layer approximately 1.0 ft thick (Zone 2). The final zone, Zone 3, averaged 0.5 ft thick, had a clay-like consistency, and was very similar to Zone 2. Although few artifacts were found, all the zones contained a large number of pebbles and rock chips. The pit walls were straight but sloped inward slightly to join the flat bottom.

Body Deposition

The skeleton was that of an adult male who was 40 +/- 5 years old at death. The body was loosely flexed and placed on its right side. Bone preservation was generally poor.

Grave Goods

A small cluster of artifacts, including a bone-handled case knife, pewter porringer, and a kaolin-clay pipe, lay adjacent to the left lower arm. A second bone-handled case knife was located near the skull, in front of the face. These were the only artifacts associated with the burial other than small bits of vermillion in the soil around the skull.