Copyright by Paul Shawn Joseph Marceaux 2011 - Repository ...

Chapter Two: The Study Area and Environmental Setting
The following chapter reviews the environmental setting of the areas
occupied by the Hasinai Caddo. Understanding the scope and availability of
natural resources is an important part of any detailed study of the archaeological
record. This is principally the case because environmental characteristics
influence the different types and timing of human activities. This does not mean
that they are deterministic. In fact, when considering the role of environment we
should keep in mind that “human behavior is not always efficient, or even
adaptive, and the perceived social and ideological needs can be as important as
biological ones” (Story 1990a:5). In addition, “many natural factors and processes
including the chemistry of the soil, amount of biologic and other pedogenic
activity in the soil, and the rate and kind of deposition greatly affect the
preservation and discreteness of the archaeological record” (Story 1990a:5).
In order to include all of the sites in the detailed ceramic analysis, the
study area as defined here covers a large region (close to 10,000 square
kilometers) within the central and northern part of the Neches River basin. The
area covers parts of seven counties in east Texas, including Anderson, Angelina,
Cherokee, Houston, Nacogdoches, Rusk, and San Augustine (Figure 2.1). Due to
the large size of the study area, the quantitative data presented here is a
composite of reports and surveys from the centrally located Cherokee and
Nacogdoches counties. The review characterizes aspects of the natural
environment including the physiography, hydrology, climate, geology and soils,
and plants and animals.
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