Research Laboratories of Archaeology


Lithic and Ceramic Sourcing at Fort Bragg, North Carolina

The goal of this collaborative, interdisciplinary project is to determine the geological sources of the raw materials used to make prehistoric artifacts found on archaeological sites at Fort Bragg, which in turn will shed light on ancient patterns of mobility and trade. The work is funded by the Construction Engineering Research Laboratory (CERL), U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, through a contract with TRC Garrow Associates, Inc. Researchers involved in this project include:

  • Tad Britt (CERL, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers); research design, project oversight.
  • Drew Coleman (Dept. of Geological Sciences, UNC-Chapel Hill); isotope geochemistry.
  • R. P. Stephen Davis, Jr. (Research Laboratories of Archaeology, UNC-Chapel Hill); project consultant.
  • Michael Glascock (Research Reactor Center, University of Missouri, Columbia); lithic and ceramic geochemistry.
  • Joseph Herbert (Fort Bragg Cultural Resources Program, Department of the Army) research design, ceramic sourcing and interpretation.
  • Jeffrey Irwin (Fort Bragg Cultural Resources Program, Department of the Army); research design, lithic sourcing and interpretation.
  • Theresa McReynolds (Research Laboratories of Archaeology, UNC-Chapel Hill); field testing of clays.
  • Brent Miller (Dept. of Geology and Geophysics, Texas A&M University); isotope geochemistry.
  • Christopher Moore (East Carolina University); research design, lithic sourcing and interpretation.
  • Brett Riggs (Research Laboratories of Archaeology, UNC-Chapel Hill); project consultant.
  • John Rogers (Dept. of Geological Sciences, UNC-Chapel Hill); project consultant.
  • Michael Smith (Dept. of Earth Sciences, UNC-Wilmington), ceramic petrography.
  • Robert Speakman (Research Reactor Center, University of Missouri, Columbia); lithic and ceramic geochemistry.
  • Vincas Steponaitis (Research Laboratories of Archaeology, UNC-Chapel Hill); research design, project coordinator.
  • Edward Stoddard (Department of Marine, Earth, and Atmospheric Sciences, North Carolina State University); lithic petrography.
  • Paul Webb (TRC Garrow Associates, Inc.); research design, project oversight.

The preliminary reports generated by this project are listed below in the following categories:

Research Designs
  • Vincas P. Steponaitis and Paul Webb (2001). "Research Design: A Pilot Study for Identifying Raw Material Source Areas for Prehistoric Artifacts from Fort Bragg, North Carolina." [PDF]
     
  • Joseph M. Herbert and Jeffrey D. Irwin (2003). "Compositional Variability in Prehistoric Native American Pottery from the North Carolina Sandhills: Research Design." [PDF]
     
  • Jeffrey D. Irwin and Christopher R. Moore (2004). "A Study of Compositional Variability in Metavolcanic Stone from the Carolina Slate Belt and the Potential to Provide Geologic Provenience for Stone Artifacts Found at Fort Bragg, North Carolina: Phase II Research Design." [PDF]
     
Reports on Lithic Studies
  • Robert J. Speakman and Michael D. Glascock (2002). "Instrumental Neutron Activation Analysis of Metavolcanic Rocks from the Vicinity of Fort Bragg, North Carolina." [PDF]
     
  • Brent V. Miller (2002). "Samarium-Neodymium Isotope and Trace-Element Analysis of Metavolcanic Rocks from the Vicinity of Fort Bragg, North Carolina: A Pilot Study of Artifact Source Quarry Discrimination." [PDF]
     
  • Christopher R. Moore and Jeffrey D. Irwin (2003). "Quarries, Procurement, and the Carolina Sandhills: A Multidisciplinary Lithic Sourcing Study." Poster presented at the Middle Atlantic Archaeological Conference. [PDF]
     
  • Edward F. Stoddard (2004). "Petrographic Characterisitcs of Rock Samples from Selected Archaeological Quarry Sites, Central North Carolina Piedmont." Poster presented at the Southeastern meeting of the Geological Society of America. [PDF]
     
  • Michael D. Glascock and Robert J. Speakman (2005). "Analysis of Metavolcanic Rocks from the Vicinity of Fort Bragg, North Carolina: Comparing the Results Obtained by Neutron Activation Analysis, X-ray Fluorescence Analysis, and Inductively Coupled Plasma-Mass Spectrometry." [PDF]
     
  • Vincas P. Steponaitis, Jeffrey D. Irwin, Theresa E. McReynolds, and Christopher Moore (2006). Stone Quarries and Sourcing in the Carolina Slate Belt. Research Report No. 25. Research Laboratories of Archaeology, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. [PDF (monograph, 15.2 mb)] [PDF (individual chapters)]
     
Reports on Ceramic Studies
  • Robert J. Speakman and Michael D. Glascock (2002). "Neutron Activation Analysis of Woodland Period Pottery from the Vicinity of Fort Bragg, North Carolina." [PDF]
     
  • Michael S. Smith (2004). "Mineralogical and Chemical Composition Characterization of Prehistoric (Woodland Period) Ceramics from Fort Bragg, North Carolina." [PDF]
    • Appendix: Petrographic Summary Tables. [PDF]
       
  • Joseph M. Herbert and Michael S. Smith (2004). "Origins of Prehistoric Pottery in the Carolina Sandhills: a Chemical and Petrographic Study" Poster presented at the Southeastern meeting of the Geological Society of America. [PDF]
     
  • Joseph M. Herbert and Theresa E. McReynolds (2004). "Compositional Variability in Prehistoric Native American Pottery from North Carolina: A Report of Clay Sources and Performance Trials." Report of investigations submitted to the North Carolina Department of Cultural Resources, Office of State Archaeology, pursuant to ARPA Permit 62. Cultural Resources Program, Department of the Army, Fort Bragg, N.C. [PDF]
     
  • Theresa E. McReynolds and Joseph M. Herbert (2004). "An Evaluation of the Utility of Carolina Clays for Woodland Potters." Paper presented at a joint meeting of the Southeastern Archaeological Conference and the Midwestern Archaeological Conference, St. Louis. [PDF]
     
  • Michael S. Smith and Joseph M. Herbert (2004). "Clay Source Areas and Woodland Land Use in the Carolina Sandhills." Paper presented at a joint meeting of the Southeastern Archaeological Conference and the Midwestern Archaeological Conference, St. Louis. [PDF]
     
  • Joseph M. Herbert and Theresa E. McReynolds (2004). "Compositional Variability in Prehistoric Native American Pottery from North Carolina: A Report of Clay Sources and Performance Trials." Report of investigations submitted to the North Carolina Department of Cultural Resources, Office of State Archaeology, pursuant to ARPA Permit 62. [PDF]
     
  • Robert J. Speakman and Michael D. Glascock (2006). "Instrumental Neutron Activation Analysis of Ceramic Materials from Fort Bragg. [PDF]
     
  • Theresa E. McReynolds and Joseph M. Herbert (2006). "Woodland-Era Clay Procurement in the Carolinas: A Chemical and Mineralogical Study of Clays and Ceramics." Poster presented at the Annual Meetings of the Society for American Archaeology, Austin, Texas. [PDF (poster)] [PDF (print)]