Native American and Spanish Ancillary Structures - Warren Wilson ...

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molds and have no identifiable structural pattern. Some of these posthole-size pits contain Spanish artifacts (See Table 3); postholes 68B and 68C contain unfired daub that indicates their Spanish origin. The Spanish postholes have blended edges between the posthole fill and surrounding soil matrix. These edges are more distinct than tree holes but less distinct than Marine Corps postholes. There are three postholes with diameters around three meters, while seven postholes have diameters of less than 60 cm. One posthole does not have diameter or depth data recorded. The three postholes with the largest diameters are outliers and are excluded from the average diameter for Spanish postholes at Santa Elena. The average diameter of the other six postholes is 41.33 cm. The average depth of those same six postholes is 25.5 cm. Santa Elena postholes have diameters that are 24.597 cm larger than average Berry site postholes and are 12.324 cm deeper. Both of these differences fall outside one standard deviation of the mean, signifying that Santa Elena postholes are not similar to Berry site postholes. The square, possibly Spanish, postholes at the Berry site are more comparable to Santa Elena postholes. Square Berry site postholes are only 9.93 cm smaller in diameter than Santa Elena postholes, and only 1.9 cm shallower. The diameter still falls outside one standard deviation of the mean, but the depth is within one standard deviation of the mean. This demonstrates that although possible Spanish Berry site postholes are not similar to Santa Elena non-structural postholes, they are more similar in size than general Berry site postholes. Table 3 Santa Elena Spanish Postholes Feature # Shape Diameter (cm) Depth (cm) Contents 32 Majolica 33 55 44 Earthenware, olive jar 48 Oval 296 12 49 Circular 27 6 Majolica 52 58 35 68B 26 7 68C Oval 293 26 Olive jar 105 Oval 316 13 Majolica 105A 55 35 Majolica, olive jar 107 27 26 The Marine Corps postholes—features 53, 92, 93, and 97 (Table 4)—were all square shaped and had a lighter posthole fill color and sharp outlines. The sharp outline between posthole fill and the surrounding soil matrix indicates that these postholes were dug recently, because there has not been much soil leeching. These postholes date to the World War I era when the site was used as a training facility, bombing range, and golf course. The average diameter of Marine Corps postholes is 36.5 cm, and the depths of the two excavated postholes are 24 and 55 cm. Feature 53 contained wooden post fragments and wire nails, which provide further evidence for its twentieth-century origin. Table 4 Santa Elena Marine Corps Postholes Feature # Shape Diameter (cm) Depth (cm) Contents 53 Square 43 55 Wire nails 92 Square 18 24 93 Square 21 Not Excavated 97 Square 64 Not Excavated Berry Site Structures 1 and 5 At the Berry site, archaeologists find similarities as well as differences in posthole styles between the two excavated structures. The two posthole styles are Native American and Spanish postholes. Structure 1 was built of more durable materials and of a more stable architectural design. One of the postholes in this structure contained an upright post, which was the same size as the hole it was in (Figure 3). This is evidence of the native technique of ramming posts into the ground (Beck et al. 2010). Structure 5, although a similar size to structure 1, was built of less durable materials and in a shallower basin indicating that it may have been built at a later time, and with less Native American help. One of the postholes in this structure had a post mold much smaller than the posthole and had an iron shim wedged in between the post mold and the edge of the posthole (Figure 3). The larger posthole is evidence that the hole was dug with shovels before the post was placed in. Historical documents show that Pardo’s soldiers had shovels with them at Fort San Juan, whereas Native Americans would not have used shovels, so this posthole was probably dug by the Spanish soldiers or by Native Americans with Spanish tools (Beck et al. 2010).
Figure 3: Native Posthole Style (Left) and Spanish Posthole Style (Right) The structures have exterior wall posts and interior roof support posts. The interior posts have larger diameters and depths than the exterior posts. The average depth of Structure 5 postholes is 27.577 cm, and the average diameter is 20.885 cm. The average depth of Structure 1 postholes is 24.636 cm, and the average diameter is 18.909 cm. The depths of the postholes of both of the structures lie outside one standard deviation of the mean of general Berry site postholes and are significantly larger than the non-structural postholes. Table 5 PH ID # of PHs Structure 5 Structure 1 Berry Site Structure Postholes Mean Depth (cm) PH ID Standard Deviation of Diameter (cm) Structure 5 Structure 1 Standard Deviation of Depth (cm) Max Depth (cm) Min Depth (cm) Mean Diameter (cm) 13 27.6 12.9 48 7 20.9 22 24.6 18.8 59 1 18.9 Max Diameter (cm) Min Diameter (cm) 7.5 37 10 7.1 34 10 Square Posthole Distribution I analyzed postholes for differences between Native and Spanish postholes. The shapes of postholes are a good indicator of who created them. Square postholes were most likely not dug by native people because of their lack of square digging implements. Historical records provide evidence that Pardo’s soldiers carried shovels with them, so they possessed a greater capability to dig square postholes than did natives (Beck, Moore, Rodning 2010). Not only does the square shape indicate a Spanish posthole, but the depth and size of existing post molds provide evidence as to how the posthole was created. Post molds in Native postholes would have been closer to the size of the postholes because native people used a ramming technique to insert posts rather than digging a posthole to insert a post into (Beck, Moore, Rodning 2010). Square-shaped postholes could also indicate historic postholes of other origins, but since the Berry site already has evidence of Spanish occupation, it is likely that these postholes are Spanish. There are five excavated square postholes at the Berry site (Table 6) as well as twelve unexcavated square-shaped posthole-sized stains labeled “possible STPs” on the unit maps that were not originally included on the site map. Table 6 Posthole # Post Mold Excavated Square Postholes Shape Diameter (cm) Depth (cm) Contents 1109 y square 34 18.5 potsherds, charcoal 1112 n square 29 38 charcoal 1156 p square 23 28 small sherds, pebbles 1176 y square 31 18.5 biface, postsherds Fea. 41 n square 40 15 After excavating posthole 1109, one of these “possible STPs,” during the 2010 field season, we discovered that our initial assumptions—that the mottled square stains were modern archaeological shovel test pits—were wrong: Posthole 1109 had a post mold, which an STP would not have. Unexcavated possible STPs were added to the map and analyzed next to excavated possible STPs and other square postholes. Posthole 1109 (Figure 4), which was originally thought to be a possible STP because of its square shape and mottled soil color, was excavated, and found to have a solid-colored, circular post mold inside the mottled, square posthole. The circular post mold is 13 cm across and 23 cm deep, while the posthole is 34 cm across and 15.5 cm deep. The post mold is less compact than the surrounding posthole and continues
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Native American and Spanish Ancillary Structures - Warren Wilson ...

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