Lithic Analyses of Site 21-85, an Archaic – Woodland Period Site near Robbins Swamp and the Housatonic River, Connecticut

Summary

Site 21-85 is a large, multi-component site, with Archaic and Woodland period remnants, located adjacent to the Hollenbeck River, a major tributary of the Housatonic River, and Robbins Swamp, the largest freshwater swamp in Connecticut. The location of Site 21-85 would have afforded past peoples access to the fauna and flora associated with Robbins Swamp, travel routes north and south through the Housatonic River Valley, and fresh water from the adjacent Hollenbeck River. The site is also located less than a mile upstream from the Great Falls, an important landmark along the Housatonic River. A portion of the site was threatened by a construction access road as part of a railroad project initiated by the Connecticut Department of Transportation; the impacts to the site were mitigated by a data recovery project, as required under state and federal laws. Excavations at the site revealed 17 cultural features, Middle Woodland pottery sherds, Middle and Late Archaic period diagnostic projectile points, as well as over 4,500 lithic artifacts. Here, we present the results of the lithic analysis of this data set, and frame the repeated occupation of this site within its broader ecological and cultural context.

This Resource is Part of the Following Collections

• Society for American Archaeology 83rd Annual Meeting, Washington, DC (2018)

Keywords

Record Identifiers

Abstract Id(s): 20980