User:Michelleucsb/County Home Site

The County Home Site is an archaeological site located in southeastern Ohio that dates from the late Archaic period. Evidence from archaeobotanical remains reveals that the site was occupied from ca. 3000 B.P. to 3600 B.P. and contains evidence of some of the earliest instances of plant domestication by humans in eastern North America. Excavation was initiated with the purpose of salvaging artifacts and other archaeological remains. Artifacts found at the County Home site include wood charcoal, nutshell and seed plants, and faunal remains. Research on the botanical remains found at the County Home site contributes to the knowledge and understanding of the earliest methods of crop production in America.

Site Description
The County Home site is located in southeastern Ohio and lies on a small hill in between the Hocking River and Sunday Creek on the Unglaciated Allegheny Plateau of Ohio. It is in the middle of the Appalachian forests that is home to a variety of tree species including oak, beech, hickory, and walnut. The plant species that were shown to be domesticated during the Archaic Period are rare on the site today with some even being nonexistent.

Excavation History
The County Home site was discovered and excavated in 1998 by Elliot Adams and the Ohio University Archaeological Field School in an effort to find and save any archaeological remains on the site before the construction of the Athens County Dog Shelter proceeded. Excavation was done using a backhoe to recover wood charcoal, seeds, nutshells and other remains with a goal of learning about the diet of inhabitants during the Archaic period.

Wood Charcoal
Wood charcoal samples were one of the most common artifacts found on the site. They were found in earth ovens and hearths as part of the research conducted by David Crowell and Marjorie Heyman. Radiocarbon dating was done on the samples and revealed that the samples dated back to a time before the Archaic period. The majority of wood types found were oak, hickory, elm, and walnut.Wood consisted of over 47 percent of the charcoal remains found on the site which suggests that it was a major source of fuel.

Nutshell and Seed Plants
Fragments of nutshells, specifically black walnut and thick-shelled hickory, were amongst the most common plant remains found at the site. The large ratio of nutshell remains found compared to seed plants suggests the possibility of nutshells playing a more significant role in the diet of Late Archaean peoples. However, it is also important to note that seed plants from the prehistoric era do not preserve as well as hard nutshells. This could result in an inaccurate representation of the importance of each of these in the Late Archaean diet. Other remains were also identified as plants such as chenopods, sumpweed, and squash which leads to the possibility of these plants being a staple in crop production and diet.

Faunal Remains
Earth ovens and hearths found on the site were observed and measured for their sizes in order to determine what kind of animals were significant to the Late Archaean diet. Additionally, the artifacts found inside of the ovens and hearths included bone fragments, rocks, and stone. More recent faunal research found that specimens from a variety of animals such as birds, reptiles, and mammals were present throughout the assemblage.