The purpose of this paper is to describe the Commissary Site mortuary population in terms of mechanical stress and then to assign possible cultural causes to explain this wear. This consisted of discussing basic anatomy in terms of bones and muscles, then in describing the osteological material excavated at the Commissary Site. Each joint was examined for wear and the entire bone for heavy build up of the cortex caused by the action of the muscles. This information was then interpreted with the aid of the associated artifacts and the burials themselves in terms of the grinding of food stuffs, the use of tump lines, hunting, handedness, and the preparation of hides.

In 1987, the Archaeological Resources Management Service (AXM6) at Ball State University conducted a sampling survey of a seven mile section of the Maumee River Valley in Allen County, Indiana. In addition to the primary survey, the project conducted an experiment in resurveying previously surveyed sample units, interviewed local collectors, and analyzed and tabulated data from a local collection with site level provenience. The project also reevaluated data previously collected from an adjacent section of the river valley and tested four sites in the latter study area.This study summarizes the data from the Maumee Grant Project and presents a general chronology of prehistoric habitation in the study area based upon that data. More specifically, this study has formulated provisional settlement models for the:PaleoIndian and Early Archaic habitation of the Upper Maumee River Valley, circa-10,000 to 6,000 B.C.The data indicate that the earliest peoples to inhabit the study area were Paleo-Indian bands with a preference for floodplain habitation and a subsistence strategy that emphasized hunting. As the post-glacial climate of the region ameliorated, the Early Archaic peoples that followed adapted a more diverse subsistence strategy, thus drawing upon a wider variety of terrace and floodplain resources. In contrast to their PaleoIndian forerunners, Early Archaic groups in the Upper Maumee Valley generally exhibited a preference for terrace habitation. In addition to the general Early Archaic occupation of the valley, three specific lithic traditions, the Kirk, the Bifurcate, and the Thebes, were identified and their settlement practices compared. While the origins of the earliest PaleoIndian bands in the region remained unclear, subsequent groups seem to have extended from and/or been influenced by Late Pleistocene and Early Holocene populations to the north, west, southwest, south, and east. By contributing to the regional data base and formulating provisional settlement models, this report provides a foundational basis for future research in the region. / Department of Anthropology

An archaeological survey was carried out for the Mississinewa Reservoir, located southwest of Peru in central Indiana. The goals of this study were to locate and evaluate a sample of the archaeological resources of the Mississinewa Reservoir area and to evaluate the impact of the reservoir and its management on those resources. During the course of the survey, 107 sites representing the Paleo-Indian, Early Archaic, Late Archaic, Middle Woodland, Late Woodland, and historic periods were recorded, while the general locations of several historic Native American sites were extracted from various sources. The distribution of prehistoric sites suggests that the presence of extensive chert bearing outcrops of Liston Creek limestone played an important role in the selection of site location. The impact of the reservoir on the archaeological resources of the reservoir is discussed as data is currently being lost by artifact collecting, and erosion due to cultivation and fluctuations in the reservoir pool.

This is a study of the known archaeological resources of the Upper East Fork of the White River in Marion and Hamilton Counties, Indiana, and a proposed management plan for the prehistoric cultural resources as a part of the White River Resource System. The extensive population growth and resultant impact of urbanization to the natural and cultural resources within Central Indiana along the White River from Martinsville to Muncie has exemplified a need for proper management and conservation of the remaining resource base. This study is an effort to illustrate the need for proper management of the archaeological resources within the whole corridor of the White River Resource System, provide a preliminary plan and strategy for the identification and evaluation of the resources and identify known critical management needs within Marion and Hamilton Counties.Ball State UniversityMuncie, IN 47306

The purpose of this study was to determine if the histomorphometric analysis of age could be used to determine the age at death of subadults from the Commissary Archaeological Site. The histomorphometric analysis was used because of the fragmented condition of the bones. Sections from the left femur were obtained and processed for light and electron microscopy. Using the regression formula of Ahlqvist and Damsten and Ubelaker, age was estimated from the percentage of Haversian canals per 1 mm unit of bone. Results show the subadult population ranged in age from 0.9- 16.7 years. The correlation between the thickness of compact bone, the midshaft width, and the marrow cavity width to that of the assigned age supports the validity of the regression formula. The study demonstrates that the histomorphometric analysis can be applied to estimate age in subadult skeletons. This study further provides the first scientific analysis of age for the subadult skeletons of the Commissary site, an Early Late Woodland Native American population. / Department of Anthropology

A survey of the Upper White River Valley located 76 new sites additional information on 6 previously recorded sites. After a preliminary literature review, artifacts from the Ball State University Archaeology Laboratory were reanalyzed and local artifact collectors were contacted to obtain additional knowledge survey area. The fieldwork focused on the floodplain and the location of Woodland sites in regards to Ross soil. Surface manifestations of Woodland-affiliated sites indicated that 33% of the sites in the project area were located in the floodplain and all Woodland components were represented on or adjacent to Ross soil. Results from the fieldwork indicate a positive correlation between Woodland sites and Ross soil in the Upper White River Valley of east-central Indiana. / Department of Anthropology

This is a general regional research design for the prehistoric archaeological resources of the Upper White River Drainage region of east-central Indiana. Following the example of McGinsey, Davis, and Griffin (1968), this design consists primarily of research problems, questions, and hypotheses suggested by the current state of the regional data base and the pertinent literature. These research problems are organized into three basic groups which represent the goals of the discipline of archaeology (that is, the study of culture history, extinct lifeways, and culture process). These groups are themselves expressed as a hierarchy to demonstrate the relative significance of the problems expressed in each. When used as part of a greater research design process (including more specific designs) this design has the potential to contribute to the scientific rigor as well as the efficiency of archaeological research carried out in this region.

The study of paleopathology is intrinsic to the study of past human societies. Through analyzing gross bone abnormalities in the individuals of a population group, one can discover occurrences of specific diseases. Diseases are often associated with diet, demography, environment, and culture of a population group. Understanding the types of diseases present can therefore lead to much information about a population group. The intent of this research is to analyze the skeletal remains from three mortuary sites to ascertain the occurrences of particular diseases. The New Castle site (12Hn1) the White site (121-In10), and Windsor Mound (12R1) represent a sample of the Early-Middle Woodland population from east central Indiana. / Department of Anthropology

An archaeological survey documenting sites along Upper Eel River within the Indiana counties of Allen, Whitley, Kosciusko and Wabash was conducted during 199192 to collect data which was analyzed to provide a clearer understanding of the region's cultural chronology and describe the area's cultural resources. A total of 765 previously unrecorded sites were documented, 493 of which were field-checked during field reconnaissance of 10% of the project universe, with 1010.82 acres surveyed. A research project completed entirely by volunteers succeeded in locating a number of potential archaeological sites from the Historic Period.Data from the present study securely defined the cultural chronology of the Upper Eel River Valley and yielded valuable information concerning settlement patterns, ecological exploitation, and avenues of migration. Cultural sequencing revealed the presence of Early Paleo-Indians along the river valley at approximately 12,000 B.P. and chronicled the continued expansion of prehistoric populations within the area into historic times. / Department of Anthropology

This study is an assessment of the archaeological resources found at the Richardville/LaFountaine house in Huntington County, Indiana. This thesis documents the historic artifact assemblage found at the Richardville/LaFountaine house through background research and chronological dating of the artifacts. It also compares these materials to those found on the Troyer site, and it examines patterns present at the house site.Analysis of the artifacts established a chronology for them and established patterns of refuse disposal. Analysis also established similarities and differences between artifacts found at the Troyer site. / Department of Anthropology