Archeological Survey and Investigation from July 1968 to May 1971, Cobb and Fulton Counties, Georgia

This section of the report will deal with the findings and some of the results of archeological survey and investigation carried out from July 1968 to May 1971. Several different projects, sponsored by various government agencies and organizations and one private corporation, were undertaken during various periods of time; however, since all the work performed lies within a single large cultural area and the findings are interrelated, it seems best to issue a single integrated report on the entire work and to publish single site reports where extended excavation were carried out, i.e. 9-Fu-14; 9-Co-100, 9-Co-1. These latter sites (two are still in progress) will comprise major reports and will require time to prepare the final analysis and interpretations. This report, it is hoped, will fill a present gap in the knowledge of the general public to who now belong this ancient heritage and responsibility by right of congress and public officials who must answer to that public for their stewardship and management.

In all, 184 sites have been visited, surface collections made, photographs taken and in some cases, test units were excavated to give a clearer picture of the cultural details. What is emerging is a panorama view of a two hundred square mile section of Georgia, traversed by the Chattahoochee River which forms the major geological feature and which with its ecological resources served as a major habitation area for ten thousands of years. Throughout the human or ethno-history of the two counties, the river has played a major role. It has provided a storehouse, rarely failing, of foods & weapons, its minerals a source for economic trade; its waters served as a means of transportation and communication. The river's swath through the hills and valleys served as a well-marked highway through the wilderness for migration season to season. One culture succeeding another, sometimes displacing its predecessor - sometimes blending with it to form an entirely new unity. This last phenomenon is known as acculturation and forms one method of adaptation to unexonerable change that could not be withstood otherwise.