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Date: | Wed, 21 Mar 2007 21:22:39 -0400 |
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You missed my point. The archaeologist in 1987 cut a meter square in the
soil and called the layer of oily black soil a midden and wanted $250,000 to
conduct a massive excavation to determine the breadth, width and depth of the
feature. I went out there in 1988 and opened the block excavation that revealed
the tryworks foundation and how the ashy black feature extended out from
where the smokestack probably existed. I introduced the historic analogies that
enabled us to interpret the oily black soil as the gravity drop from the
smokestack. My point is that we had to open an area twenty meters square to
properly interpret the meaning of the oily black soil. Does the term require
artifacts, bones and sea shells to constitute a "midden"?
Moreover, all soil discolorations constitute a feature in some larger
context. Even an oil spill in an auto garage is a feature with a story. Sample size
plays a great role in properly interpreting features within historic
contexts. Chemical soil discoloration from human activity may or may not include
artifacts or food remains. What then, do you mean by midden?
Ron May
Legacy 106, Inc.
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