John Lawrence, AECOM

1. Issues in Late Woodland Period
Subsistence on the Delaware
River:
Results from the Scudder Falls
Bridge Project
John W. Lawrence
Dr. William Hilgartner
Byways to the Past
July, 2012

2. Late Woodland Subsistence on the Delaware River
Geographic Setting
ECOTONE
Riparian
At limits of tidal zone
Terrestrial
Margin of Coastal Plain and
Piedmont

3. Late Woodland Subsistence on the Delaware River
Topographic Setting
Common characteristics in site
location:
T2 terrace
Confluence of small feeder
stream and river
Differences:
Temporal (Late Woodland
River Road)
All phases between Middle
Archaic and Late Woodland
represented at the RCW site
Deep Excavation at River
Road

4. Late Woodland Subsistence on the Delaware River
Terrace Structure

5. Late Woodland Subsistence on the Delaware River
Rear Terrace Levee

6. Late Woodland Subsistence on the Delaware River
Feature 11, Pit Feature, AD 1200-1270
Faunal remains
Fish
Turtle
Mammal
Macrobotanical
 Chenopodium
album
 Blackberry
 Pokeweed
Residue analysis
 Tobacco
 Oak nutmeat
 Sunflower nutmeat
 Hickory nutmeat
 Cocklebur seed
 Mussel
Fall Occupation

7. Late Woodland Subsistence on the Delaware River
Front Terrace Levee

8. Late Woodland Subsistence on the Delaware River
Center Terrace Swale
Feature 4
Tool cache
Chipping station
Woodworking
Living Surface
Dense artifact
concentration
Fossil pollen,
phytoliths,
protein residue
Seeds and other
plant remains

9. Late Woodland Subsistence on the Delaware River
Late Woodland Cache
Feature 4
Tool cache
Chipping station
Tools Used for Woodworking

10. Late Woodland Subsistence on the Delaware River
Late Woodland Living Surface
Living Surface and
buried A-horizon
Living Surface
Flags marking artifact
locations
Soil staining
Three separate
clusters of artifacts
 3-D View
Vertical perspective

11. Late Woodland Subsistence on the Delaware River
Buried A-horizon and Late Woodland Living Surface
Subsistence
Indicators:
Maize pollen
Wild grape pollen
Sunflower nutmeat
Chenopodia seeds
Blackberry seeds
Hickory nut shells
Ceramic
Maize starch
Sunflower phytolith
Scraper
Rodent antiserum
Levanna point
Fish antiserum
Pestle
Grape pollen
Netsinkers

12. Late Woodland Subsistence on the Delaware River
Periods of Site Occupation
Occupation Context Subsistence Remains Activities Season
Fish, turtle, mammal, mussel
Storage pit Chenopodium album, blackberry,
pokeweed
Maize, tobacco, oak, sunflower, hickory,
cocklebur
Storage, general Late summer,
AD 1160-1270 Tool Cache N/A subsistence fall
Maize
Ceramic vessel Sunflower
Squash (?)
Shad, rodent, sunflower nutmeat, mussel;
AD 1330-1440 Living Surface Fishing, general subsistence Spring, summer
Net sinkers
AD 1440-1660 Living Surface Net sinkers Fishing, general subsistence Spring, summer

13. Late Woodland Subsistence on the Delaware River
Middle Delaware River Settlement Pattern
Winter-spring
microband camp
Summer-fall
macroband camp
Winter-spring
transient camp
Summer-fall
transient camp
Year round
rockshelter and
winter/spring
microband camp
Year round
rockshelter

14. Late Woodland Subsistence on the Delaware River
Chenopodium album
Lamb’s quarters or
Goosefoot
C. album seeds

15. Late Woodland Subsistence on the Delaware River
Examining Chenopodium album

16. Late Woodland Subsistence on the Delaware River
Reeder’s Creek West Site
Feature 27,
Hearth
Early/Middle
Woodland period
C. album present
Feature 44,
Hearth
Early/Middle
Woodland period
C. album present

17. Late Woodland Subsistence on the Delaware River
Chenopodium album