Abstract
In 1946, Albert C. Spaulding, while at the University of Kansas, investigated a mound in southeast Kansas. The mound, composed of earth and fire-cracked rock contained artifacts and several burials. Based largely on the presence of cord marked ceramics, the mound can probably be assigned to the Late Woodland, perhaps ca. A.D. 700 to 900. The mound may be an incipient burned rock midden, possibly related to the gathering and processing of nut mast, particularly acorns, in autumn and possibly too the processing tubers, roots, or bulbs in spring. Buried within mound fill were several inhumations, indicating that it also served a mortuary function. An unconfirmed report of a projectile point embedded in one human vertebra hints at violence. Description of the site and the excavations are based on Spaulding's notes, while the small collection of artifacts from the site, curated by the Museum of Anthropology at the University of Kansas, was analyzed. The limited data from the investigation is herein compared to other, similar sites in the region.
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