New Archaeobotanical and Feature-Use Data from Post-A.D. 1550 Contexts at the Madisonville Site, Ohio

• Published in: North American archaeologist 2014-07, Vol.35 (3), p.211-242
• Main Authors: Purtill, Matthew P., Leone, Karen L.
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• ISSN: 0197-6931; 1541-3543
• DOI: 10.2190/NA.35.3.a

In 2004-2005, salvage excavations at the Madisonville Village and Cemetery Site, a Late Fort Ancient settlement in southwestern Ohio, provided an opportunity to gather new information concerning post-A.D. 1550 occupation at the site. This article documents the use histories of excavated features and their resultant archaeobotanical remains. Results indicate that Madisonville features have incredibly complex formation histories which reflect continual reuse of a geographically restricted landform. Archaeobotanical analysis indicates a high reliance on maize by site inhabitants, although such reliance was not constant but instead increased threefold over time. Maize agriculture was supplemented by a diversity of additional cultigens (e.g., beans, erect knotweed, little barley, sunflower, and squash) and wild foods, especially nut resources, which remained an important dietary component throughout Madisonville's long occupation.