Steps to the Past: 1994 Archaeological Excavations at Mounds A and B the Etowah Site (9BR1) Bartow County, Georgia

From July 18 to September 13, 1994 an archaeological field crew from West Georgia College conducted excavations at the base, on the slopes, and on the summit of Mounds A and B at the Etowah site in Bartow County, Georgia. The work was performed for the Georgia Department of Natural Resources in preparation for the construction of new visitor access stairs on Mounds A and B. At Mound A, the crew opened a total of 12 individual excavation units, including two on the summit and 10 at the base of the ramp. In the excavations at the base of the mound, a well-preserved, prehistoric clay and log staircase were uncovered. This staircase measured 7 meters wide and was probably constructed during the early part of the Wilbanks phase (AD 1250-1325). A small platform was constructed above this staircase along its lower margins, which may have served as a landing area for the staircase. It was built during the latter part of the Wilbanks phase (AD 1325-1375). Above this platform were a series of Brewster phase (AD1450-1550) posts and features, including a line of posts that appear to form a palisade or screen across the ramp entrance. On the summit of Mound A, the upper end of the staircase encountered at the bottom was not found, primarily because the area immediately at the top of the ramp has been disturbed by an erosional gully and subsequent modem filling. However, beneath the disturbed deposits, a remnant of an old mound summit surface was encountered, which appears to have been constructed sometime during the Wilbanks phase (AD1250-1375). Also, on the summit, a few Brewster phase sherds were recovered, suggesting that the mound summit may have been used at that time. At Mound B, the field crew excavated 11 test units, including four on the summit and seven at the base. In the units at the base, crew members uncovered evidence for three construction stages of the mound. The first two date to the Late Etowah phase (AD 1100-1200), and the third dates to the early Wilbanks. Also, at the base of Mound B, crew members recorded several Brewster phase posts and a feature containing domestic refuse. On the summit of the mound, excavators uncovered an old mound summit surface that was probably constructed during the late Wilbanks subphase. However, this surface also appears to have been used during the Brewster phase. On this surface, especially in areas just off the mound summit on its slope, several shallow, linear depressions were found. These appear to be the remains of a log facing that may have either covered the entire mound or possibly encircled the summit.