webb] ARCHAEOLOGICAL SURVEY OF NORRIS BASIN 85 



the remaining portion of the mound was "topped", by removal of 

 earth, to reveal a horizontal post-mold pattern as shown in plate 47/ 



Keference stakes were kept in position and carried down as earth 

 was removed in horizontal sections by the use of hand barrows. 

 This method has the distinct advantage of uncovering a whole post- 

 mold pattern and revealing the size and orientation of the structure, 

 as well as permitting the careful cleaning and study of the floor of 

 the structure and its photography. However, it has the definite 

 disadvantage of the loss of vertical profiles, which are so necessary 

 in determining any intrusion through any horizontal stratification. 

 This method of topping places an additional burden of responsibility 

 on the excavator to catch at once all evidence of intrusion and to 

 actually visualize in three dimensions what he sees, since there will 

 be no profiles upon which later he may check his findings. 



The hardpan under the mound, outside of the central structure 

 area, revealed numerous scattered post molds, ash beds, fireplaces, 

 and other features, but in general they were so scattered that no 

 significant arrangement could be observed. Figure 36 is a base chart 

 of this mound floor. It shows the post molds, carefully plotted, as 

 well as the special features indicated by number, as briefly described 

 later. Within the central portion of this mound post-mold patterns 

 were uncovered which seemed to show that eight different rectangu- 

 lar structures had been built in succession on this restricted area. 

 The various east-and-west walls differed but little in placement and 

 orientation, but there seems to have been considerable shifting of 

 the structure in the north-and-south direction. This, with some 

 change in the actual length of the structure, made for a considerable 

 variation in placement of the north-and-south walls. The structures 

 occurred at different levels, and often the post-mold patterns of two 

 structures would cross, or for a short space be nearly identical, due 

 to molds from one floor extending from 18 to 24 inches below the 

 level of the floor with which it was identified. Each of these struc- 

 ture patterns will be described separately by number as a feature. 



As would be expected, occasionally portions of some early post- 

 mold patterns had been destroyed by later construction, and it is 

 rather surprising that as many as eight structures were still clearly 

 discernible by almost complete patterns. It will be noted that the 

 upper structure pattern began to show at a depth of only 1 foot 

 below the top surface. The mound had been repeatedly plowed over 

 with tractor-drawn gang plows, which not only completely destroyed 

 all post molds touched but greatly assisted erosion by deep disturb- 

 ance of the soil, and by dragging off a portion from the mound top 

 with each cultivation. 



No one may ever know how many different structures were erected 

 on this site, but it seems well within the bounds of possibility that 



