Faunal Remains from the 1971–1977 Excavations at the Seip Earthwork Complex, Ross County

Abstract

The enigmatic nature of the archaeological deposits recovered from the 1971–1977 Ohio Historical Society (OHS) excavations at the Seip Earthworks Complex, Ross County, Ohio inspired a reexamination of the archived faunal assemblage. This research indicates that the vast majority of the faunal materials collected represent secondary deposits from an unknown source or sources, making interpretations of feature and structure function problematic. Evidence of shell bead manufacture, or any other specialized production of bone artifacts, was not apparent in the assemblage. The assemblage informs our understanding of site formation processes, especially in the period after the dismantling of the structures that were recovered by the excavations, more than it does of any function while the structures were actively being used.