The Pipestem burial is the oldest known burial site in North Dakota. Radiocarbon assay dates the site at ca. 3500 B.P., a date which falls within the Archaic Period. Geomorphological conditions at the site tend to corroborate the date as do several other factors. Although limited, skeletal metric and non-metric data from the multiple interment compare favorably with other Archaic burials. Erosion at the site badly disturbed the burial context, thereby hampering definitive statements on the mode of burial. Despite this, comparative burial mode data from the region and elsewhere on the Great Plains are discussed.
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