Archaeological Data Recovery in the Richard B. Russell Multiple Resource Area the Anderson County Group 38AN8, 38AN29 AND 38AN126

Southeastern Wildlife Services , Inc. conducted phase I intensive testing and data recovery at three prehistoric sites in Anderson County, South Carolina. The sites will be inundated by the flood pool of the Richard B. Russell Lake on the Savannah River. The work was sponsored by the U. S. Army Corps of Engineers, Savannah District, and administered by the Interagency Archeological Services Division, National Park Service, Atlanta, under contract number C- 54058(81) .

The archeological investigations sought to determine whether phase II data recovery was justified at sites 38AN8, 38AN29 and 38AN126. A site testing program was implemented which included systematic shovel testing, test pits, large block excavations, and deep backhoe trenches. Laboratory procedures included in depth ceramic and lithic analyses and a pilot study to test the feasibility of using neutron activation analysis to link soapstone artifacts to their source.

Two of the three sites yielded significant archeological data and the third was found to be badly disturbed. Site 38AN8, yielded artifacts and features preserved below the plow zone and dating to a Late Swift Creek phase (ca. A.D. 720) and to a Early Lamar phase (ca. A.D. 1310). The Late Swift Creek occupation is represented by bell- shaped pits filled with complicated stamped pottery and other trash. The Early Lamar occupation is represented by postholes, pits and two burials. One of the burials was a adult female buried with a single vessel while the other was a child of about 10, sex unknown, who was interred with five small vessels.

Site 38AN29 yielded occupations dating to the Late Archaic, Savannah River phase sealed beneath nearly a meter of sand. The northern end of the site had numerous Late Archaic features and artifacts in context suggestive of short term habitation. The southern end of the site yielded a possible Late Archaic structure associated with numerous pit features, hearths and two lithic activity areas, 38AN29 produced dates of 2560 B.C. for the northern end and 2960 B.C. for the southern end.

Site 38ANl26 was found to have been severely disturbed in certain areas as a result of the Savannah River flooding. Work at this site was prematurely terminated when the extent of the disturbance was learned. It was discovered that the site had probably been occupied intermittantly from about 5000 B.C. to about A.D. 1500.

Further work is recommended at sites 38AN8 and 38AN29 in order to collect additional data needed to test the hypotheses in the original proposal. No further work is recommended at 38AN126 due to it's disturbance.