Ronald Watson Gravel Site
Encyclopedia
The Ronald Watson Gravel Site (15Be249) is an archaeological site
near Petersburg in Boone County, Kentucky
, on an inside bend of a meander
of the Ohio River
. Excavations have determined that the site was occupied several times, during the Late Archaic, Middle Woodland, Late Woodland
, and Middle Fort Ancient
periods, although none of these are transitional occupations from one period to another. It is the best documented Middle Woodland site in the Northern Bluegrass region
of Kentucky.
, during the Middle Woodland (1–500 CE) with dates 83-482 CE and 258-534 CE and during the Late Woodland (500–1000 CE) with dates 655-854 CE, 668-893 CE, 692-961 CE, and 785-1017 CE. During this time period the residents of Ronald Watson relied heavily on nut resources and farmed native plants from the Eastern Agricultural Complex
such as goosefoot, erect knotweed, sunflower
, and maygrass. The Late Woodland occupation was during the Newtown Phase and was the most intensive occupation of the site. The site was also occupied briefly during the Middle Fort Ancient period
(1200 to 1400 CE), during the Anderson Phase.
Archaeological site
An archaeological site is a place in which evidence of past activity is preserved , and which has been, or may be, investigated using the discipline of archaeology and represents a part of the archaeological record.Beyond this, the definition and geographical extent of a 'site' can vary widely,...
near Petersburg in Boone County, Kentucky
Boone County, Kentucky
Boone County is a county located in the U.S. state of Kentucky. It was formed in 1798. The population was 118,811 in the 2010 Census. Its county seat is Burlington. The county is named for frontiersman Daniel Boone...
, on an inside bend of a meander
Meander
A meander in general is a bend in a sinuous watercourse. A meander is formed when the moving water in a stream erodes the outer banks and widens its valley. A stream of any volume may assume a meandering course, alternately eroding sediments from the outside of a bend and depositing them on the...
of the Ohio River
Ohio River
The Ohio River is the largest tributary, by volume, of the Mississippi River. At the confluence, the Ohio is even bigger than the Mississippi and, thus, is hydrologically the main stream of the whole river system, including the Allegheny River further upstream...
. Excavations have determined that the site was occupied several times, during the Late Archaic, Middle Woodland, Late Woodland
Woodland period
The Woodland period of North American pre-Columbian cultures was from roughly 1000 BCE to 1000 CE in the eastern part of North America. The term "Woodland Period" was introduced in the 1930s as a generic header for prehistoric sites falling between the Archaic hunter-gatherers and the...
, and Middle Fort Ancient
Fort Ancient
Fort Ancient is a name for a Native American culture that flourished from 1000-1750 CE among a people who predominantly inhabited land along the Ohio River in areas of modern-day Southern Ohio, Northern Kentucky, Southeastern Indiana and Western West Virginia. They were a maize based agricultural...
periods, although none of these are transitional occupations from one period to another. It is the best documented Middle Woodland site in the Northern Bluegrass region
Bluegrass region
The Bluegrass Region is a geographic region in the state of Kentucky, United States. It occupies the northern part of the state and since European settlement has contained a majority of the state's population and its largest cities....
of Kentucky.
Occupations
The site is a 0.4 hectare open habitation area on an alluvial terrace of sand and gravel beds overlooking the Ohio River. The eastern side of the site was occupied twice during the Late Archaic period, 3715 plus or minus 40 years before the present, during the Central Ohio Valley Phase (2750-1750 BCE) and 3090 plus or minus 50 years before the present, during the Maple Creek Phase (1750-1000 BCE). The site was occupied twice during the Woodland periodWoodland period
The Woodland period of North American pre-Columbian cultures was from roughly 1000 BCE to 1000 CE in the eastern part of North America. The term "Woodland Period" was introduced in the 1930s as a generic header for prehistoric sites falling between the Archaic hunter-gatherers and the...
, during the Middle Woodland (1–500 CE) with dates 83-482 CE and 258-534 CE and during the Late Woodland (500–1000 CE) with dates 655-854 CE, 668-893 CE, 692-961 CE, and 785-1017 CE. During this time period the residents of Ronald Watson relied heavily on nut resources and farmed native plants from the Eastern Agricultural Complex
Eastern Agricultural Complex
The Eastern Agricultural Complex describes the agricultural practices of the pre-historic Eastern Woodland Native Americans in the eastern United States and Canada. Native Americans domesticated and cultivated many indigenous crops as far west as the Great Plains.-Term:The term Eastern Agricultural...
such as goosefoot, erect knotweed, sunflower
Sunflower
Sunflower is an annual plant native to the Americas. It possesses a large inflorescence . The sunflower got its name from its huge, fiery blooms, whose shape and image is often used to depict the sun. The sunflower has a rough, hairy stem, broad, coarsely toothed, rough leaves and circular heads...
, and maygrass. The Late Woodland occupation was during the Newtown Phase and was the most intensive occupation of the site. The site was also occupied briefly during the Middle Fort Ancient period
Fort Ancient
Fort Ancient is a name for a Native American culture that flourished from 1000-1750 CE among a people who predominantly inhabited land along the Ohio River in areas of modern-day Southern Ohio, Northern Kentucky, Southeastern Indiana and Western West Virginia. They were a maize based agricultural...
(1200 to 1400 CE), during the Anderson Phase.