Coring Archaeological Sites

• Published in: American antiquity 1986-07, Vol.51 (3), p.505-527
• Main Author: Stein, Julie K.
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Archaeological excavation; Archaeological sites; Archaeology; Augers; Excavation and methods; Excavations; Field method; Geology; Methodology and general studies; Middens; Prehistory and protohistory; River deltas; Sediments; Soil samples; Survey
• ISSN: 0002-7316; 2325-5064
• DOI: 10.2307/281749

The history of coring and augering at archaeological sites is traced to two periods in the twentieth century. In the first period, Period I (1935-1955), the technique was used primarily to correlate archaeological deposits with river sediments for dating purposes. Rarely were the deposits containing artifacts cored or augered; rather the stratigraphic relationship of cultural to non-cultural deposits was sought. Most of this work was done in the Lower Mississippi River Delta where geologists had calculated absolute dates for river deposits. This period seems to have ended with the availability of radiometric dating and was followed by Period II (1964-present). After 1964 there is a renewed interest in coring and augering, mostly following a shift in archaeological research interests from culture history toward ecological questions. This shift coincides with the availability of a new device: a mechanical corer. During Period II, coring is utilized in many different projects, including reconstructing the environment surrounding sites, collection of samples from subsurface deposits, and locating buried archaeological sites. Following the discussion of the history of coring and augering, a description of equipment, techniques, and data potential is presented.