Final Data and Summary Comments

Abstract

Comments on the distribution of mica recovered by the Ohio Historical Society 1971–1977 excavations of seven wooden structures introduce the summary comments. The interpretation of these seven structures as craft houses has been engrained into the “common wisdom” of North American archaeology for a generation. We have re-studied the artifacts and extant records and concluded that the data does not support this interpretation. The original analysis by the excavators treated the materials in the mound that had been placed over a decommissioned structure as directly associated with the activities that took place within that structure. Our review of the records and the physical materials recovered shows that such an assumption is not consistent with the data. These structures and their immediate environs were clearly special places, as seen by the care taken to dismantle each structure then deliberately cover the remains. It is easy to point out evidence for a variety of ritual/ceremonial activities associated with the big houses at Seip. Yet, this locality is more a place of rituals that saw repeated visits over generations that resulted in patterned constructions on the same relatively small piece of land. Data from later excavations at Seip by the Cleveland Museum of Natural History and Arizona State University fit his interpretation. Data from recent excavations at the Stubbs Earthworks and Fort Ancient Earthworks in the Little Miami Valley record construction histories of wooden structures at these sites that differ from the treatment seen at Seip. These differences illustrate the unique nature of this small area not only at Seip but also within what is currently known about Ohio Hopewell.