Bulletin: Journal of the New York State Archaeological Association, 2023
The period immediately following the American Revolution was a formative time in central New York... more The period immediately following the American Revolution was a formative time in central New York State, as waves of new immigrants settled in the region on lands formerly occupied by displaced Native and Loyalist communities. Many of these settlers came from communities in Connecticut and western Massachusetts. Examples of Connecticut Valley architectural traditions, including connected farmhouses and pentagonal corncribs, occur with frequency on early 19th century farmsteads in central New York. Likewise, gravestones represent an important and underutilized tool for the study of folk culture. Of particular note is the continuation of the "cherub" or winged face image in central New York State, a motif well established in New England. This study utilizes a data set of 42 gravestones representing 47 individuals in order to test assumptions about their age, sex, and place of origin. Results indicate that the age and gender of these individuals varied more widely than expected.
Archaeologists have debated the ethnic or tribal affiliation of the shield bearing warrior rock a... more Archaeologists have debated the ethnic or tribal affiliation of the shield bearing warrior rock art motif since the 1950s. Much of the discussion has occurred independently of the development of anthropological ethnicity theory. This paper reviews the approaches employed by various scholars in assigning affiliations to these figures and examines the content of rock art through generally held anthropological views regarding the nature of ethnic identity. Shield bearing warriors are a distinctive rock art motif which depict an individual carrying or hiding behind a large circular shield which obscures the majority of their body. Often the head and feet are exposed and hands and weapons are occasionally depicted. In many cases the figures wear horned headdresses, probably representative of bison hunting. Another possibly related rock art motif include circular designs thought to represent shields but which do not show an individual. These designs are thought to be much more common in W...
As part of the proposed renovation of the Williams Lake Resort, archaeologists documented the kil... more As part of the proposed renovation of the Williams Lake Resort, archaeologists documented the kilns and foundation remains of the Lawrence Cement Company and the F.O. Norton cement works. This documentation included photographing the kilns and landscape features and mapping the foundation remains. The investigations of these two historic industrial sites provide a valuable opportunity to study the Rosendale cement industry using archaeological methods and techniques. Bricks can be a valuable research tool in investigating change at early industrial sites. A total of ten different marked bricks were encountered at various locations throughout the kiln complexes. Research conducted on specific brick manufacturers suggests that much of the common brick was manufactured nearby, most notably in Kingston and Haverstraw, while fire brick was imported from other states. A total of six marked “common” bricks were identified. One brick, marked “1976”, does not appear in the literature, and wa...
The Bulletin: Journal of the New York State Archaeological Association, 2015
In 1946 a dugout canoe was recovered from Deer Pond, a small, one-acre wetland located in an upla... more In 1946 a dugout canoe was recovered from Deer Pond, a small, one-acre wetland located in an upland saddle in the Town of Pharsalia, Chenango County, NY. Dave Walker, who found the canoe, transported it to the City of Norwich, where it was ultimately put on display at the Chenango County Historical Society Museum. The Canoe is approximately 17 ft long and made from black ash (Fraxinus nigra), and shows several unusual characteristics not found on other canoes from the region. Based upon its shape and location away from navigable waterways, we suspect that the canoe may have been used for harvesting wild rice (Zizania aquatic) rather than for human transportation. Tree-ring analysis has tentatively placed the age of the canoe in the early part of the eighteenth century (approximately 1720-1725), although it is possible that the canoe is much older. Several sources indicate that wild rice was not heavily utilized by the Iroquois, although it was an important food source to surrounding groups. Consequently, this evidence for wild rice harvesting may coincide with the emergence of refugee settlements along the Chenango and Upper Susquehanna drainages in the early part of the eighteenth century.
The painting of trees by Iroquoian and neighboring groups is well documented in historic accounts... more The painting of trees by Iroquoian and neighboring groups is well documented in historic accounts dating from the 17 th and 18 th centuries. Tree drawings were a form of symbolic expression used by Native people as a means of providing current events and commemorating past hunting and war exploits. Trees were also painted to provide directions and give warnings about the dangers of enemy war parties. While the practice of painting information on trees is well documented throughout the Eastern Woodlands, much of the most detailed information comes from the Upper Susquehanna and Chemung valleys of New York and Pennsylvania. This paper examines these Native tree paintings within the context of demographic and social changes taking place in the Upper Susquehanna drainage in the 17th and 18th centuries.
Birchwood Archaeological Services recently conducted excavations as part of a buried irrigation l... more Birchwood Archaeological Services recently conducted excavations as part of a buried irrigation line project at the Bohringer Site, located south of the village of Middleburgh in Schoharie County, New York. The site was formerly the subject of a series of archaeological investigations performed by the Iroquois Indian Museum, who identified an 18 th century Mohawk occupation and a French and Indian War fort as well as a series of precontact occupations dating from the Early Woodland through the period of European contact. This more recent archaeological undertaking proved a success due, in part, to the close cooperation of members of Iroquois Indian Museum. The 2009 investigations at the Bohringer Site provided a valuable opportunity to supplement our knowledge of this important site. Results of these recent excavations include a radiocarbon date obtained from a stratified ash feature that appears to be associated with the nearby Nahrwold Site, while fragments of pottery recovered may be associated with a significant find made by the Museum during their excavations in the 1980s.
Pilot Rock is a large Sioux Quartzite boulder located along a high bluff in Cherokee County, Iowa... more Pilot Rock is a large Sioux Quartzite boulder located along a high bluff in Cherokee County, Iowa. Previous investigations have focused on a single turkey track petroglyph located on the top of the boulder. Subsequent investigations have identified a series of additional petroglyphs located along the upper surface of the rock. Detailed recording of these petroglyphs, including black and white and color photography, maps, tracings and measured drawings, was conducted to document the current condition of the petroglyphs and provide a baseline with which to monitor deterioration and vandalism.
The Nordstrom-Bowen site represents a pictorial record of prehistoric and protohistoric
life on ... more The Nordstrom-Bowen site represents a pictorial record of prehistoric and protohistoric life on the Northwestern Plains. The site contains numerous examples of ceremonial and biographical style rock art including zoomorphs, v-necked and shield bearing anthropomorphs, as well as abstract and geometric images. This study focuses on certain triangular and trapezoidal images commonly interpreted as tipis, structures or bundles. Comparison of these images with similar depictions found at other locations throughout the Plains suggests that they may actually represent early depictions of armored horses. If so, these images hold the potential to increase our understanding about a dynamic and temporally sensitive period of cultural change.
Archaeologists have debated the ethnic or tribal affiliation of the shield bearing warrior rock a... more Archaeologists have debated the ethnic or tribal affiliation of the shield bearing warrior rock art motif since the 1950s. Much of the discussion has occurred independently of the development of anthropological ethnicity theory. This paper reviews the approaches employed by various scholars in assigning affiliations to these figures and examines the content of rock art through generally held anthropological views regarding the nature of ethnic identity.
Bulletin: Journal of the New York State Archaeological Association, 2023
The period immediately following the American Revolution was a formative time in central New York... more The period immediately following the American Revolution was a formative time in central New York State, as waves of new immigrants settled in the region on lands formerly occupied by displaced Native and Loyalist communities. Many of these settlers came from communities in Connecticut and western Massachusetts. Examples of Connecticut Valley architectural traditions, including connected farmhouses and pentagonal corncribs, occur with frequency on early 19th century farmsteads in central New York. Likewise, gravestones represent an important and underutilized tool for the study of folk culture. Of particular note is the continuation of the "cherub" or winged face image in central New York State, a motif well established in New England. This study utilizes a data set of 42 gravestones representing 47 individuals in order to test assumptions about their age, sex, and place of origin. Results indicate that the age and gender of these individuals varied more widely than expected.
Archaeologists have debated the ethnic or tribal affiliation of the shield bearing warrior rock a... more Archaeologists have debated the ethnic or tribal affiliation of the shield bearing warrior rock art motif since the 1950s. Much of the discussion has occurred independently of the development of anthropological ethnicity theory. This paper reviews the approaches employed by various scholars in assigning affiliations to these figures and examines the content of rock art through generally held anthropological views regarding the nature of ethnic identity. Shield bearing warriors are a distinctive rock art motif which depict an individual carrying or hiding behind a large circular shield which obscures the majority of their body. Often the head and feet are exposed and hands and weapons are occasionally depicted. In many cases the figures wear horned headdresses, probably representative of bison hunting. Another possibly related rock art motif include circular designs thought to represent shields but which do not show an individual. These designs are thought to be much more common in W...
As part of the proposed renovation of the Williams Lake Resort, archaeologists documented the kil... more As part of the proposed renovation of the Williams Lake Resort, archaeologists documented the kilns and foundation remains of the Lawrence Cement Company and the F.O. Norton cement works. This documentation included photographing the kilns and landscape features and mapping the foundation remains. The investigations of these two historic industrial sites provide a valuable opportunity to study the Rosendale cement industry using archaeological methods and techniques. Bricks can be a valuable research tool in investigating change at early industrial sites. A total of ten different marked bricks were encountered at various locations throughout the kiln complexes. Research conducted on specific brick manufacturers suggests that much of the common brick was manufactured nearby, most notably in Kingston and Haverstraw, while fire brick was imported from other states. A total of six marked “common” bricks were identified. One brick, marked “1976”, does not appear in the literature, and wa...
The Bulletin: Journal of the New York State Archaeological Association, 2015
In 1946 a dugout canoe was recovered from Deer Pond, a small, one-acre wetland located in an upla... more In 1946 a dugout canoe was recovered from Deer Pond, a small, one-acre wetland located in an upland saddle in the Town of Pharsalia, Chenango County, NY. Dave Walker, who found the canoe, transported it to the City of Norwich, where it was ultimately put on display at the Chenango County Historical Society Museum. The Canoe is approximately 17 ft long and made from black ash (Fraxinus nigra), and shows several unusual characteristics not found on other canoes from the region. Based upon its shape and location away from navigable waterways, we suspect that the canoe may have been used for harvesting wild rice (Zizania aquatic) rather than for human transportation. Tree-ring analysis has tentatively placed the age of the canoe in the early part of the eighteenth century (approximately 1720-1725), although it is possible that the canoe is much older. Several sources indicate that wild rice was not heavily utilized by the Iroquois, although it was an important food source to surrounding groups. Consequently, this evidence for wild rice harvesting may coincide with the emergence of refugee settlements along the Chenango and Upper Susquehanna drainages in the early part of the eighteenth century.
The painting of trees by Iroquoian and neighboring groups is well documented in historic accounts... more The painting of trees by Iroquoian and neighboring groups is well documented in historic accounts dating from the 17 th and 18 th centuries. Tree drawings were a form of symbolic expression used by Native people as a means of providing current events and commemorating past hunting and war exploits. Trees were also painted to provide directions and give warnings about the dangers of enemy war parties. While the practice of painting information on trees is well documented throughout the Eastern Woodlands, much of the most detailed information comes from the Upper Susquehanna and Chemung valleys of New York and Pennsylvania. This paper examines these Native tree paintings within the context of demographic and social changes taking place in the Upper Susquehanna drainage in the 17th and 18th centuries.
Birchwood Archaeological Services recently conducted excavations as part of a buried irrigation l... more Birchwood Archaeological Services recently conducted excavations as part of a buried irrigation line project at the Bohringer Site, located south of the village of Middleburgh in Schoharie County, New York. The site was formerly the subject of a series of archaeological investigations performed by the Iroquois Indian Museum, who identified an 18 th century Mohawk occupation and a French and Indian War fort as well as a series of precontact occupations dating from the Early Woodland through the period of European contact. This more recent archaeological undertaking proved a success due, in part, to the close cooperation of members of Iroquois Indian Museum. The 2009 investigations at the Bohringer Site provided a valuable opportunity to supplement our knowledge of this important site. Results of these recent excavations include a radiocarbon date obtained from a stratified ash feature that appears to be associated with the nearby Nahrwold Site, while fragments of pottery recovered may be associated with a significant find made by the Museum during their excavations in the 1980s.
Pilot Rock is a large Sioux Quartzite boulder located along a high bluff in Cherokee County, Iowa... more Pilot Rock is a large Sioux Quartzite boulder located along a high bluff in Cherokee County, Iowa. Previous investigations have focused on a single turkey track petroglyph located on the top of the boulder. Subsequent investigations have identified a series of additional petroglyphs located along the upper surface of the rock. Detailed recording of these petroglyphs, including black and white and color photography, maps, tracings and measured drawings, was conducted to document the current condition of the petroglyphs and provide a baseline with which to monitor deterioration and vandalism.
The Nordstrom-Bowen site represents a pictorial record of prehistoric and protohistoric
life on ... more The Nordstrom-Bowen site represents a pictorial record of prehistoric and protohistoric life on the Northwestern Plains. The site contains numerous examples of ceremonial and biographical style rock art including zoomorphs, v-necked and shield bearing anthropomorphs, as well as abstract and geometric images. This study focuses on certain triangular and trapezoidal images commonly interpreted as tipis, structures or bundles. Comparison of these images with similar depictions found at other locations throughout the Plains suggests that they may actually represent early depictions of armored horses. If so, these images hold the potential to increase our understanding about a dynamic and temporally sensitive period of cultural change.
Archaeologists have debated the ethnic or tribal affiliation of the shield bearing warrior rock a... more Archaeologists have debated the ethnic or tribal affiliation of the shield bearing warrior rock art motif since the 1950s. Much of the discussion has occurred independently of the development of anthropological ethnicity theory. This paper reviews the approaches employed by various scholars in assigning affiliations to these figures and examines the content of rock art through generally held anthropological views regarding the nature of ethnic identity.
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Papers by David Moyer
Previous investigations have focused on a single turkey track petroglyph located on the top of the boulder.
Subsequent investigations have identified a series of additional petroglyphs located along the upper
surface of the rock. Detailed recording of these petroglyphs, including black and white and color
photography, maps, tracings and measured drawings, was conducted to document the current condition of
the petroglyphs and provide a baseline with which to monitor deterioration and vandalism.
life on the Northwestern Plains. The site contains numerous examples of ceremonial and
biographical style rock art including zoomorphs, v-necked and shield bearing anthropomorphs, as
well as abstract and geometric images. This study focuses on certain triangular and trapezoidal
images commonly interpreted as tipis, structures or bundles. Comparison of these images with
similar depictions found at other locations throughout the Plains suggests that they may actually
represent early depictions of armored horses. If so, these images hold the potential to increase our
understanding about a dynamic and temporally sensitive period of cultural change.
1950s. Much of the discussion has occurred independently of the development of anthropological ethnicity theory.
This paper reviews the approaches employed by various scholars in assigning affiliations to these figures and
examines the content of rock art through generally held anthropological views regarding the nature of ethnic
identity.
Previous investigations have focused on a single turkey track petroglyph located on the top of the boulder.
Subsequent investigations have identified a series of additional petroglyphs located along the upper
surface of the rock. Detailed recording of these petroglyphs, including black and white and color
photography, maps, tracings and measured drawings, was conducted to document the current condition of
the petroglyphs and provide a baseline with which to monitor deterioration and vandalism.
life on the Northwestern Plains. The site contains numerous examples of ceremonial and
biographical style rock art including zoomorphs, v-necked and shield bearing anthropomorphs, as
well as abstract and geometric images. This study focuses on certain triangular and trapezoidal
images commonly interpreted as tipis, structures or bundles. Comparison of these images with
similar depictions found at other locations throughout the Plains suggests that they may actually
represent early depictions of armored horses. If so, these images hold the potential to increase our
understanding about a dynamic and temporally sensitive period of cultural change.
1950s. Much of the discussion has occurred independently of the development of anthropological ethnicity theory.
This paper reviews the approaches employed by various scholars in assigning affiliations to these figures and
examines the content of rock art through generally held anthropological views regarding the nature of ethnic
identity.