ARTIFACT COLLECTING IS NOT ALLOWED AT THE SITE OF THORNHILL!!!
THIS IS A PROTECTED ARCHAEOLOGICAL AND HISTORICAL SITE!!!!
PLEASE RESPECT AND PROTECT CULTURAL RESOURCES!!!
Top illustration: Some of the stone tools excavated from the interior of the
Mississippian Period house at 23SL220.
Enlarged image of stone artifacts from inside the house at 23SL220.
Enlarged image of pottery sherds from inside the house at 23SL220.
The following artifacts show
the range and variation in material culture
ranging from the Dalton Period through the Mississippian Period.
Dalton point reworked into a hafted end scraper. It was discovered
in the southeast corner of the Mississippian house in excavation unit N110 E88
(Specimen 81-2033-273-1). The hafted portion of the Dalton point are smooth from
intentional grinding; the base of the point is thinned by careful flaking.
The manufacture of the Dalton Point probably dates to approximately 8000 BC. It
appears to have been discovered and recycled during the Mississippian Period.
Length = 3.0 cm, Width = 3.4 cm. Thickness = 0.65 cm. and Weight = 7.9 grams.
Agate Basin Lanceolate projectile point (Specimen 81-2033-301-surface)
found approximately 100 hundred meters from the burnt
Mississippian house feature. Associated with the Early Archaic Period in
Missouri and Illinois (7000 to 5000 BC). This example has lateral grinding in the
area of the haft and traces of blade edge serration. The blade edge is bevelled.
Length = 8.3 cm, Width = 2.3 cm, Thickness = 0.9 cm.
Early Archaic forms discovered in the test units near the Bates Cemetery.
The left example is a Hardin Barbed projectile point and the right example shares traits with
both Hardin Barbed and St. Charles project points.
Broken side-notched dart point (Specimen 81-2033-216-1)
from the area approximately
100 meters south of the burnt Mississippian house. This heat treated biface probably
belongs to a Middle Archaic Period (5000 - 3000 BC) occupation of the site.
Length = 3.7 cm, Width = 1.5 cm, Thickness = 0.65 cm.
Line drawings of the large projectile points of Archaic and Woodland Period date
that may have been reused during the Mississippian Period. (A) Steuben point,
(B) Marshall point, (C) Gary or Langtry point, and (D) Stone County Square Stemmed base.
Gary point (Specimen 81-2033-235-1) from the area immediately
outside of the west wall of the Mississippian house. The artifact has not been
retouched. This point type is typical of the Woodland Period.
Length = 3.8 cm, Width = 4.3 cm, Thicness = 0.92 cm, and Weight = 15.6 grams.
Steuben-like point (Specimen 81-2033-48-1) discovered against the east wall
on the inside of the Mississippian house in excavation unit N112 E90. The edge
of the point is fractured and not retouched. The size of the artifact suggests
is typical of an atlatl dart point and it was originally manufactured in Woodland Period.
Length = 2.6 cm, Width = 1.9 cm, Thickness = 0.9 cm, and Weight = 4.7 grams.
Steuben-like point (Specimen 81-2033-F-292-1) discovered in the north half of the
fill of a trashpit against the west wall of the Mississippian house. The broken edge
of the artifact shows evidence of reuse as a hafted scraper. This artifact belongs
to the Woodland Period, but was reused in the Mississippian Period for scraping.
This point was associated in the pit fill
with a Naylor point from the Mississippian Period.
Length = 3.3 cm, Width = 2.6 cm, Thickness = 0.9 cm, and Weight = 9.2 grams.
Steuben Expanded Stemmed point (Specimen 81-2033-226-2) discovered
immediately outside of the west wall of the Mississippian house
in excavation unit N112 E82. This artifact belongs to a stone tool category
that is usually dated to the Middle Woodland and Late Woodland Periods
(500 BC to AD 800).
Length = 6.9 cm, Width = 2.8 cm, and Thickness 1.0 cm.
Marshall Point (Specimen 811-2033-198-1) discovered in the extreme southwest
corner of the burnt Mississippian house in excavation unit N108 E90. This artifact
belongs to the Woodland Period. It was being reused in the Mississippian Period for
cutting and sawing.
Length = 5.8 cm, Width = 4.4 cm, Thickness = 0.8 cm.
Late Woodland Period cordmarked rimsherd
(Specimen 81-2033-126-171) belonging to a large jar
that was discovered in the fill of a
trashpit situated
over 100 meters south of the burnt Mississippian house.
Rim thickness = 0.6 cm and Body thickness = 0.8 cm.
MISSISSIPPIAN PERIOD ARTIFACTS:
Distribution map of pottery sherds on the floor of the Mississippian House at Thornhill.
Distribution map of diagnostic projectile point types on the floor of the
Mississippian House at Thornhill
Two small arrowpoints from Square 110 E86 in the north half of the fill of a
trashpit against the west wall of the Mississippian house. The more intact point
was made by minimal retouching of a chert flake; it resembles Naylor Points from
Southeast Missouri and Wanda Points from the FAI-270 report on the Range Site in Illinois.
The Wanda points are associated with the Dohack Phase (Emergent Mississippian, ca. AD
800 - 850) at the Range Site. The more fragmentary point (the surviving haft element of
an arrowpoint) resembles the Scallorn Point type found throughout Missouri and the
Koster Point type from the FAI-270 report on the Range Site in Illinois. The Koster
points were associated with the Emergent Mississippian features at the Range Site.
The Naylor point measures Length = 1.7 cm, Width = 1.1 cm, Thickness = 0.4 cm, and Weight
= 0.4 grams.
Arrowpoint (Specimen 81-2033-6/3-272-1) from Square 110 E84 in the north half of the fill of a
trashpit feature F against the west wall of the Mississippian house. The arrowpoint
was made by minimal retouching of a chert flake; it resembles Naylor Points from
Southeast Missouri and Wanda Points from the FAI-270 report on the Range Site in Illinois.
The Wanda points are associated with the Dohack Phase (Emergent Mississippian, ca. AD
800 - 850) at the Range Site.
Length = 2.4 cm, Width = 1.45 cm, Thickness = 0.28 cm, and Weight = 0.5 grams.
Arrowpoint (Specimen 81-2033-228-3) missing its base
from excavation unit N108 E88.
This point was found in the interior of the southwest corner of the Mississippian house.
This point was part of an
association of six arrowpoints (4 Naylor points, 1 Mississippian triangular, and 1
Cahokia 3 notched). They may have been part of a quiver of four arrows hanging in
the rafters of the house. The point is not burnt.
Length = 2.2 cm, Width = 1.25 cm, Thickness = 0.33 cm, and Weight = 0.7 grams.
Cahokia notched arrowpoint (Specimen 81-2033-253-5) from the interior
of the southwest corner of the Mississippian house. This point was part of an
association of six arrowpoints (4 Naylor points, 1 Mississippian triangular, and 1
Cahokia 3 notched). They may have been part of a quiver of four arrows hanging in
the rafters of the house. The point is not burnt.
Length = 2.65 cm, Width = 1.32 cm, Thickness = 0.3 cm, and Weight = 0.6 grams.
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Cahokia notched arrowpoint (Specimen 81-2033-17-1) with a mis-shapened
barb from the southeast corner of the Mississippian house. This point was part of
an association of three arrowpoints (1 Mississippian triangular, 1 Scallorn, and 1
Cahokia 3 notched) that may represent a quiver of three arrows hanging in the rafters of the
house. The point is a gray chert that may have been affected by heat/fire.
Length = 2.92 cm, Width = 1.77 cm, Thickness = 0.35 cm.
Arrow point (Specimen 81-2033-169-2) with a narrow, needle-like
outline that can be classified as a Scallorn-variant. Found in the southeast interior
corner of the Mississippian house in direct association with a Cahokia 3 notched arrowpoint
and a Mississippian triangular arrowpoint. The narrow and long blade of this arrowpoint
resembles a Washita chaffee (specimen Spiro-PbB1-1) illustrated from the Mississippi
Period occupation at Spiro Mounds in Oklahoma. It is a very uncommon point type at
Spiro.
Length = 2.9 cm, Width = 0.9 cm, and Thickness = 0.4 cm.
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Mississippian triangular point (Specimen 81-2033-183-2) found in the
southeast interior corner of the Mississippian house. It was in direct association with a
Cahokia 3 notched arrowpoint and a Scallorn-variant arrowpoint.
Length = 2.8 cm, Width = 1.4 cm and Thickness = 0.4 cm.
Three pieces of
chert (Specimens 81-2033-186-3, 81-2033-186-4, and 81-2033-186-2) belonging to a single core
of Crescent Quarry chert. These pieces were found as an association of four chert pieces in
the southwest interior corner of the Mississippian house. Specimen 81-2033-186-3 is an
intentional blade while the other pieces are flakes that were intended for
flaking into Naylor or Scallorn points.
Large flake of Crescent Quarry
chert (Specimen 81-2033-186-1) belonging to an association of
four chert pieces in the southwest interior corner of the Mississippian house.
The flake had been cached for future retouch flaking into a Naylor point or Scallorn point.
Unifacially flaked denticulate end scraper from excavation
unit N114 E84 (Specimen 81-2033-275-2)
found in the fill within the north wall trench of the Mississippian house.
The working edge of the tool has been retouched by unifacial flakes.
Length = 6.7 cm, Width = 3.4 cm, Thickness = 0.9 cm, and Weight = 18.5 grams.
End scrapers found inside the Mississippian house.
Flake scrapers associated with the Mississippian house.
Hammerstones found inside the Mississippian house.
Crescent Quarry chert cores found in
association with the Mississippian house.
Four awl-like tools found inside and outside of the Mississippian house.
Pick-like chert tools found inside the wall trench fill of the Mississippian house.
Cahokia Cordmarked rimsherd
(Specimen 81-2033-292-2)
from an intrusive cylindrical pit feature along the
west wall of
the Mississippian House. Handle attachments are visible on the rim and shoulder.
Voids left by leached particles of shell indicate that
it was tempered with both large and fine particles. This is the only example of this
ware type from the site and indicates that some kind of activity at the site continued until
approximately AD 1100 to 1400.
Rim Thickness = 0.7 cm and Body Thickness = 0.6 cm.
Cahokia Cordmarked rimsherd (specimen 81-2033-292-2) from
the instrusive cylindrical pit features along the west wall of the Mississippian House.
Three shell and limestone tempered bowls from the interior
of the Mississippian house at Thornhill. Rimsherd A (Specimen 81-2033-222) is decorated
with S cordmarking and came from excavation unit N110 E84. Rimsherd B
(Specimen 81-2033-186-2) came from excavation unit N108 E84. Rimsherd C
(Specimen 81-2033-166) has a light pinkish slip on its interior surface.
It was discovered under the mass of carbonized corn in the southeast corner of
the Mississippian house.
Rimsherd belonging to a hemispherical bowl (specimen 81-2033-36-1) with cordmarked exterior.
The vessel was tempered with limestone and grit.
Four grit and grog tempered sherds
from inside the Mississippian House. Rimsherd A (specimen 81-2033-170)
is an whole mouth jar or bowl with light
red slip; found in excavation unt N112 E88. Rimsherd B (specimen 81-2033-175-1) is from a
cordmarked and rim impressed jar or bowl found in excavation unit N08 E88. Rimsherd C
(specimen 81-2033-10-2)
is from a bowl with S cordmarking found in excavation square N110 E90. Rimshrd D
(specimen 81-2033-145)
found in excavation unit N110 E86.
Three rimsherds from inside the Mississippian House at Thornhill.
Rimsherd A (specimen 81-2033-301-11)
is from a beaker or straight wall bowl found in excavation unit N108 E84.
Rimsherd B (specimen 81-2033-186-3) is a seed jar
that was built into an elevated clay bench in the southeast corner of the
house. It was discovered in excavation unit N108 E84. Rimsherd C (specimen 81-2033-301-2)
was discovered built into the elevated clay bench in the southeast corner of the house.
It was decorated with vertically oriented cordmarkings.
Comparison of rim diameters for bowl and other pottery forms from the interior of
the Mississippian House at Thornhill.
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Cache of odd rocks or shaman's bundle.
