Michael, blacksmithing debris represents a highly sophisticated assemblage for
technological, behavioral, and temporal research. Such debris represents both a
time capsule and fingerprint of nearly every activity performed at a shop.
Consider the presence of fuel, raw materials, forging and smithing residues,
repairs and rejects, recycling discards, activity areas, etc. Metal working
sites provide outstanding opportunities for archaeological research, but most
have been highly disturbed, unlike the site you describe.
From your query it is unclear what you mean by the term "stock pile." Is this a
pile of new stock, a pile of metal waste, or a pile of reusable metal discards?
Smiths generally maintained numerous piles for different purposes. Reusable
metals would definitely be placed in a location where they could be recycled if
and when an opportunity arose (e.g., for a new handle for a pair or tong in need
of repair, a scrap of steel for an inset bit). Smiths also may have graded
their reusable metals by the type or grade of metal (e.g., iron vs steel). Even
forge debris was recycled (e.g., for resurfacing floors and walkways or as
insulation material). Ask yourself, why are the debris piles visible and close
to the shop? Were are the household discard features? If some discards are
buried or removed to an area further away from the shop, might these represent
waste materials, while discard piles near activity areas might represent
potential recyclables.
As for stratigraphy, a metal recycling debris pile may clearly indicate changes
in smithing behavior, changes in metal working technology, changes in consumer
requirements, or for your site, changes in mining technology.
If as you claim, the site was abandoned in situ for 150 years, it would truly
represent a significant research find. Anything short of a major effort at site
preservation, data recovery, and material analysis should be regard as
inappropriate.
--
Lester A. Ross, Inc. <http://www.spiretech.com/~lester/larinc/index/index.htm>
See web pages for:
CURRENT RESEARCH PROJECTS
Russian American Company Fort Ross, 1821-1840: Beaded Apparel Project
<http://www.spiretech.com/~lester/ftross/index.htm>
Hudson's Bay Company Columbia Department, 1821-1860: Material Culture Project
<http://www.spiretech.com/~lester/fova/index/index.htm>
American Fur Company Fort Union, 1828-1867: Trade Bead Research (to be online
later in 1999)
Beads and Beaded Apparel of the Northern Plains, Pre-Reservation Era Project
(to be online later in 1999)
ONLINE RESEARCH ARTICLES FOR REVIEW
"Agricultural Land Acquisition and Settlement Patterns in the Far West"
<http://www.spiretech.com/~lester/ahapn/research/homestead/ross.htm>
"Spatial Modeling of Functional Areas for Rural Industrial and Agricultural
Sites" <http://www.spiretech.com/~lester/workcamp/index/index.htm>
"Buried Archaeosediments, San Bernardino County, California"
<http://www.spiretech.com/~lester/geoarch/index/index.htm>
PROFESSIONAL SOCIETY SUPPORT
Society for Historical Archaeology (SHA) - Material Culture Publication
Series <http://www.spiretech.com/~lester/sha/index/index.htm>
Association of Historical Archaeologists of the Pacific Northwest (AHAPN)
<http://www.spiretech.com/~lester/ahapn/index/index.htm>
Society of Bead Researchers (SBR)
<http://www.spiretech.com/~lester/sbr/index/index.htm>
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