Hi all.  Jim Deetz and others have pointed out that the kid factor 
probably accounts for a lot of finds--those isolated spoons being 
just one example he  used.  Yes, there were children in the old days, 
regardless of how the Philipe Aries debates are resolved.  And there 
were dogs, and chickens, and...

At 01:36 PM 8/3/2007, you wrote:
>Obviously I don't look at things from a Management position.  I think
>the artifacts are important.  The combined collection is what tells us
>the Story...of the peope who discarded the trash/items.
>
>In most cases, I write the "Results" portion of reports...presenting the
>data...in text and tables.  Then the PI writes the conclusions/whatever
>(different terms for diff projects; symantics).
>
>This one project is being run (very) differently tho.
>
>WHY I was noting the pin marks is for the exact reason you state
>Carl....to determine just how MANY guns were being fired/used.  I cant
>say they all 'resided' in the ONE household associated with the dump
>tho...since the inhabitants could have had friends come over for a
>target shoot.
>
>This collection has over 50 rimfire casings present...and 100s of
>centerfire handgun casings and shotshells - so it was of Interest to me
>since the abundance really stood out (typically a domestic site might
>produce 3-10 casings - off the top of my head; please don't 'quote' me).
>
>We don't have the ammo info entered into our database yet, so I cant
>give you Exact details...but, I thot it relevant to know that many
>different weapons were used at this home site - maybe it isnt. ?
>
>Why the casings were gathered up and discarded in the dump puzzles me
>some tho.  But maybe this isnt Unusual behavior (only to me)??  I just
>assumed (oops) that shells were left in the grass (let's say)...where
>they fell...by most shooters.
>
>I was wondering if perhaps one of the kids had gathered up a
>"collection" (as I know children do - picking up "goodies"*)...since -
>of the shotshells specifically - there are just 1 or 2 of each 'make'
>(brand model)...of 6 Different ammo making companies.  Not being a
>'shooter'...I am ignorant about the sport...but, I just assumed one
>bought a box full of 1 type of ammo...so what you shot would all be the
>Same (at that episode; till the box was empty).  Then why would there be
>some 45 DIFFERENT product names in this household dump collection?
>
>All ideas welcome.  :o)
>
>But no, this probably wont influence the conclusions of the report the
>PI writes.
>
>* When I was 6, and I was taken to the race track... I collected all the
>'pretty' betting ticket stubs littered all over the ground.  I must have
>had a 2" thk stack...that I rubberbanded (technical term; ha ha) and
>kept in my drawer.  WHY?  Silly things kids do.
>
> >-----Original Message-----
> >From: HISTORICAL ARCHAEOLOGY [mailto:[log in to unmask]] On
> >Behalf Of Carl Steen
> >Sent: Friday, August 03, 2007 5:10 AM
> >To: [log in to unmask]
> >Subject: Re: Management Interference in Standard Archaeology Procedures
> >
> >
> >If Carol was working for me I'd ask what she is going to do
> >with the  data?
> >Who is writing the report, her or me?  Unfortunately CRM
> >budgets can't always absorb the mostly irrelevant analysis
> >that some people  (like me, I admit) want to gather. So you
> >always have to ask, is the time  required, for instance, to
> >measure each rimfire firing pin mark worth the  effort? Does
> >it really matter? At Little Big Horn, yes. At a domestic site,
> > probably not.
> >
> >At the same time I have figured a sort of "MNG" for households
> >based on the number of unique cartridge types (1 .22, 1 .32
> >rimfire, 1 .32 centerfire, etc). It amounted to about a
> >paragraph in a two volume report. Interesting, and an
> >important piece of the puzzle, but three times the effort
> >would  not result in substantially more information. So I'd
> >say the person writing the  report should direct the lab to
> >gather the information he or she needs to  fulfill their
> >research design, and that lab workers with their own agendas
> >should pursue them on their own time.
> >
> >Carl Steen
> >
> >
> >
> >************************************** Get a sneak peek of the
> >all-new AOL at
> >http://discover.aol.com/memed/aolcom30tour
> >

Leslie C. "Skip" Stewart-Abernathy, Ph.D.
Arkansas Archeological Survey
Winthrop Rockefeller Institute
Petit Jean Mountain
1 Rockefeller Drive
Morrilton, AR 72110