Over the hills and far away: Middle to Late Woodland archaeology and toolstone conveyance at Hyre Mound (46RD1), West Virginia

Abstract

The archaeology of the eastern West Virginia uplands remains significantly understudied compared to other areas of the Appalachian Plateau. Bettye Broyles’ excavations at the Hyre Mound site (46RD1) in 1963 recovered a variety of artifacts within and directly adjacent to a burial mound but the excavations remain largely unpublished. We provide a report of Broyles’ excavations, new radiocarbon dates, and an analysis of the lithic raw material frequencies at the site. Material culture and ceremonial practices suggest the initial mound construction dates to the Middle Woodland period. Radiocarbon dating of cultural features confirms that people also used the locality during the Late Woodland period. Lithic raw material frequencies indicate a preference for non-local, Hillsdale chert found ∼100 km from the site throughout both time periods. The directionality of toolstone conveyance supports existing models that emphasize the quality and location of raw material sources and the orientation of the region’s physiography.

Knapping quality of local versus exotic Upper Mercer chert (Ohio, USA) during the Holocene

“…Archaeologists often integrate the relative quality (asserted or demonstrated) of knappable toolstone into discussions of forager raw material acquisition, mobility, trade, and tool type (e.g., Andrefsky, 1994a, 1994b; Aubry et al, 2012; Bamforth, 1986; Buchanan et al, 2014; Dibble, 1995; Doelman et al, 2001; Kuhn, 1991; Messineo et al, 2019; Parry & Kelly, 1987; Rosencrance & Hirshman, 2020; Selden et al, 2021; Wilkins, 2017; see also citations throughout this manuscript). In some cases, prehistoric people directly transported, or traded for, higher‐quality rocks from far “exotic” distances, while lower‐quality rocks were acquired “locally” (e.g., Bobak & Połtowicz‐Bobak, 2018; Horowitz, 2018a).…”