MARINE CORPS BASE QUANTICO, Va. -- Just what were people doing on what is now the shore of the Chopawamsic Creek tidal pool, near the Marsh Center, between 4,000 and 4,500 years ago that involved such frequent use of fire?
This is one question archaeologists will try to answer following this summer’s archaeological dig along Russell Road, carried out in preparation for Phase 3 of the road-widening project.
Early this month, the Louis Berger Group, the contractor that carried out the dig between late June and late August, issued a preliminary report outlining the artifacts and other telltale signs that were unearthed. Among the findings were 7,090 pieces of fire-cracked rock in a 34.5-square meter area excavated along the shore, dubbed Locus A. By contrast, just 44 pieces dug up in the 13 square meters of Locus C on a nearby hill across the road.
The report notes that this discrepancy is much greater than the difference in the number of pieces of “debitage” — the flakes of rock created in the making of stone tools — that were found at the two sites, indicating it is not simply a result of one site being used more.
“The masses of fire-cracked rock represent some specific activity undertaken at Locus A,” the report concludes, adding that this activity most likely took place in the period between 2500 and 2000 B.C. Fire-cracked rock is a term use to describe rocks that have been scorched by fire.
Digging was carried out at four sites where earlier shovel tests had unearthed artifacts, but one turned out to be too badly disturbed by the construction of Russell Road to yield any finds, and another turned up only stone flakes, a single tool and a handful of fire-cracked rocks.
Among the significant finds was evidence that Native Americans occupied the area along the lower Chopawamsic Creek regularly between around 10,000 years ago and the arrival of Europeans about 400 years ago.
Previous archaeological testing in the area had led to the conclusion that it was primarily occupied during the Late Woodland period, from 900 A.D. until contact with Europeans, but the dig unearthed stone tools and other artifacts from all periods of the last 10 millennia, with the most intensive use of the site appearing to have been during the period between 4,000 and 5,800 years ago. Remains from the Woodland period, on the other hand, were found to be “rather sparse” in the sites studied.
Unchanged, however, is the theory that the area was used for seasonal hunting and foraging, and not for permanent villages, as evidenced by the lack of postholes.
Most of the stone tools that were discovered appear to be related to hunting or fishing, according to the report. These were mainly points, knives and scrapers.
The report also notes that the tidal pool by the mouth of the Chopawamsic did not exist until the construction of the Marine Corps Air Facility and was probably a freshwater marsh during the period in question.
“It’s not a sacred site. It’s not a village site,” said base archaeologist Catherine Roberts. “It’s just a seasonal campsite.”
She said analysis of seeds contained in the soil will tell archaeologists the seasons when the site was used and will also provide information about how the ecosystem has changed.
Carbon dating will also give more precise chronological information, and the soil chemistry will be tested and the stone tools further analyzed.
“Once we do all the analysis, we’ll have a better idea of a more exact timeframe for the sites,” Roberts said.
According to the report, in addition to the rich findings in the Locus A area, the sediment there is stratified so that older artifacts are generally deeper in the earth. “This partial separation of the material means that the site can shed some light on the cultural evolution of the region across the dynamic Late Archaic period,” it states.
Earlier testing turned up pottery shards with the markers of two different ethnic groups from the Late Woodland period, and archaeologists had hoped this dig would shed light on the relationships between these tribes. However, according to the report, only a handful of pottery shards from that era were unearthed.
The Louis Berger Group, which has the materials from the dig at its Richmond office for analysis, is expected to issue a final report in November or December.
The area of the dig was also once a Quantico live-fire impact area, and four live, World War II-era rounds were also discovered and had to be blown in place, Roberts said.
She said the area is now cleared concerning cultural resources for the final phase in the widening of Russell Road. However, clearing for unexploded ordinance will still have to be carried out as part of the road construction work. A contract for the construction is expected to be awarded early next year.
— Writer: mdicicco@quanticosentryonline.com