Cultivating Methods for New Conclusions: An Analysis of Oneota Copper Artifacts of the Lake Koshkonong Region in Southeastern Wisconsin

Summary

Despite almost two centuries of North American prehistoric copper research, intensive archaeological investigations focusing specifically on Oneota copper are less abundant. Building upon previous studies, this project documented and analyzed over 500 Oneota copper artifacts in an effort to assess the production, utilization, and ideological and social significance of this copper materials. The artifacts of this study were recovered from four Oneota sites adjacent to Lake Koshkonong in Jefferson County, Wisconsin, dating to AD 1100 to 1400: Crabapple Point (47Je93), Schmeling (47Je833), Koshkonong Creek Village (47Je379), and Crescent Bay Hunt Club (47Je904). Methods for analyzing North American prehistoric copper artifacts are presented as well as the results of investigations in object form, damage, and general depositional context. For example, manufacturing marks and use wear observed on these objects provide arguments for multiple manufacturing traditions in the area and call into question previous assumptions about their technical utility. Additionally, the distribution of these artifacts and the iconographic symbols present among the collections suggest larger ideological and social significance of copper within Oneota groups. Overall, this research provides possible standardized methods for future prehistoric copper studies and hopes to inspire additional Oneota copper research.

This Resource is Part of the Following Collections

• Society for American Archaeology 82nd Annual Meeting, Vancouver, BC (2017)   •
• Developing Approaches in the Study of Prehistoric Copper in North American Archaeology

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Record Identifiers

Abstract Id(s): 17025