Theses and Dissertations by Steven Keehner
This thesis describes the results and interpretations of a multi-faceted analysis of Late Plains ... more This thesis describes the results and interpretations of a multi-faceted analysis of Late Plains Woodland components (AD 500-1000) of the Hamon site (14JF350) in Jefferson County, northeastern Kansas. Methods included artifact analysis, newly obtained radiocarbon dates, a reconstructed spatial analysis of the original excavations, and a field survey to locate and define the site boundaries. The results reveal that the site was a palimpsest of occupations further disturbed by agricultural plowing. This is in contrast to the original interpretations, which were affected by the excavated materials having never been analyzed and low-resolution obstacles due to a multitude of excavation factors including weather, excavation boundaries, and not having reached culturally sterile subsoil. Activities represented by the material remains of the site occupants include lithic and ceramic production, with evidence for a possible open fire kiln, and inhumation of the deceased.
The analysis also reveals that a revision of archaeological taxonomy is needed for several designation units in the Late Plains Woodland Period (AD 500-1000). The formal traits of artifacts from the Hamon site, and other sites used to define the Grasshopper Falls phase, are indiscernible from other defined Middle (AD 1-500) and Late Plains Woodland units and pottery wares/types in the region, including Valley, Loseke Creek, Held Creek, Sterns Creek, and Minotts. The ceramic assemblage from the Hamon site contains vessel forms, production techniques, and design motifs that are reflective of some of the above-mentioned wares/types, but might also be representative of Steed-Kisker ware.
This study is an important addition to the knowledge of activities and adaptations of Late Woodland people in the central plains. I argue that a ceramic production event occurred at the Hamon site and that the inhabitants were in contact with other Late Plains Woodland groups in the region of the lower Missouri Valley. The latter is evident through similarities in material culture that are otherwise clouded by existing archaeological taxonomy. Future research can transcend the taxonomic obstacles to further reveal that more interaction and less isolation existed among Late Plains Woodland people occupying the greater region of the lower Missouri Valley in Kansas, Missouri, Nebraska, and Iowa by looking to curated collections for comparative analysis.
Papers by Steven Keehner
program in the Department of Anthropology and the Graduate Faculty of the University of Kansas in... more program in the Department of Anthropology and the Graduate Faculty of the University of Kansas in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Arts.
The 84th Annual Meeting of the Society for American Archaeology, 2019
Midcontinental Journal of Archaeology, 2018
In the 1950s, the Kansas City Hopewell (KCH) was modeled as a phenomenon originating from a migra... more In the 1950s, the Kansas City Hopewell (KCH) was modeled as a phenomenon originating from a migration of people or diffusion of ideas from Middle Woodland Hopewell communities in Illinois, a model that greatly influenced subsequent research. Two lines of evidence were instrumental in the formation of this model: ceramics and chronology. This study presents the results of 24 newly obtained accelerator mass spectrometry (AMS) dates associated with a typological analysis of ceramics from three KCH sites, plus Early Woodland sherds from several regional sites. The results indicate that the KCH developed in part from local Early Woodland populations (ca. 500-1 BC) and was chronologically equivalent to Havana Hopewell in Illinois (ca. 100 BC-AD 400). Early and Middle Woodland ceramics also share affinities with types in regions to the north, south, and east of Kansas City, indicating that KCH origins and interactions were more multiregional and complex than the traditional model suggests.
In the 1950s, the Kansas City Hopewell (KCH) was modeled as a phenomenon originating from a migra... more In the 1950s, the Kansas City Hopewell (KCH) was modeled as a phenomenon originating from a migration of people or diffusion of ideas from Middle Woodland Hopewell communities in Illinois, a model that greatly influenced subsequent research. Two lines of evidence were instrumental in the formation of this model: ceramics and chronology. This study presents the results of 24 newly obtained accelerator mass spectrometry (AMS) dates associated with a typological analysis of ceramics from three KCH sites, plus Early Woodland sherds from several regional sites. The results indicate that the KCH developed in part from local Early Woodland populations (ca. 500–1 BC) and was chronologically equivalent to Havana Hopewell in Illinois (ca. 100 BC–AD 400). Early and Middle Woodland ceramics also share affinities with types in regions to the north, south, and east of Kansas City, indicating that KCH origins and interactions were more multiregional and complex than the traditional model suggests.
The Kansas Anthropologist, 2013
This paper presents several petroglyph sites located in Rice County, Kansas (14RC11, 14RC10, and ... more This paper presents several petroglyph sites located in Rice County, Kansas (14RC11, 14RC10, and 14RC333) and examines the possibility for shamanic causal relationships. The history of the complicated term “shaman” is reviewed, and a new definition is proposed. Also included are reviews of the topic as it has been applied in rock art studies and of formally defined rock art traditions in the Plains. Evidence suggests that shamanic behavior may have been responsible for the petroglyphs in Rice County, but causality is not argued for without considering alternatives. Additionally, but in limited capacity, this study also highlights the effectiveness of the free image-editing software Inkscape for enhancing retrievable data from petroglyph photographs.
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Theses and Dissertations by Steven Keehner
The analysis also reveals that a revision of archaeological taxonomy is needed for several designation units in the Late Plains Woodland Period (AD 500-1000). The formal traits of artifacts from the Hamon site, and other sites used to define the Grasshopper Falls phase, are indiscernible from other defined Middle (AD 1-500) and Late Plains Woodland units and pottery wares/types in the region, including Valley, Loseke Creek, Held Creek, Sterns Creek, and Minotts. The ceramic assemblage from the Hamon site contains vessel forms, production techniques, and design motifs that are reflective of some of the above-mentioned wares/types, but might also be representative of Steed-Kisker ware.
This study is an important addition to the knowledge of activities and adaptations of Late Woodland people in the central plains. I argue that a ceramic production event occurred at the Hamon site and that the inhabitants were in contact with other Late Plains Woodland groups in the region of the lower Missouri Valley. The latter is evident through similarities in material culture that are otherwise clouded by existing archaeological taxonomy. Future research can transcend the taxonomic obstacles to further reveal that more interaction and less isolation existed among Late Plains Woodland people occupying the greater region of the lower Missouri Valley in Kansas, Missouri, Nebraska, and Iowa by looking to curated collections for comparative analysis.
Papers by Steven Keehner
The analysis also reveals that a revision of archaeological taxonomy is needed for several designation units in the Late Plains Woodland Period (AD 500-1000). The formal traits of artifacts from the Hamon site, and other sites used to define the Grasshopper Falls phase, are indiscernible from other defined Middle (AD 1-500) and Late Plains Woodland units and pottery wares/types in the region, including Valley, Loseke Creek, Held Creek, Sterns Creek, and Minotts. The ceramic assemblage from the Hamon site contains vessel forms, production techniques, and design motifs that are reflective of some of the above-mentioned wares/types, but might also be representative of Steed-Kisker ware.
This study is an important addition to the knowledge of activities and adaptations of Late Woodland people in the central plains. I argue that a ceramic production event occurred at the Hamon site and that the inhabitants were in contact with other Late Plains Woodland groups in the region of the lower Missouri Valley. The latter is evident through similarities in material culture that are otherwise clouded by existing archaeological taxonomy. Future research can transcend the taxonomic obstacles to further reveal that more interaction and less isolation existed among Late Plains Woodland people occupying the greater region of the lower Missouri Valley in Kansas, Missouri, Nebraska, and Iowa by looking to curated collections for comparative analysis.