Feature Analysis: Studying Non-Portable Archaeological Remains (Hearths, Walls, Pits).

Feature Analysis: Studying Non-Portable Archaeological Remains (Hearths, Walls, Pits) – A Lecture From the Trenches

(Image: A cartoon archaeologist, sweat dripping, trowel in hand, exclaiming "Eureka! It’s…a really big hole!")

Alright class, settle down, settle down! Put away your Instagram filters and pay attention. Today, we’re ditching the glamorous world of gold artifacts (though, let’s be honest, we all dream of finding some) and diving headfirst into the nitty-gritty, often smelly, but absolutely crucial world of archaeological features.

Forget Indiana Jones and his shiny trinkets. We’re talking about the unsung heroes of the archaeological record: hearths, walls, pits, ditches, postholes, floors, and all those other lovely, stationary remnants of past human activity. These guys don’t travel; they are the place. They tell us stories about how people lived, worked, ate, and even died, right where they stood (or dug, or built).

So, grab your metaphorical shovels, and let’s dig in! ⛏️

I. What in the World Is a Feature? Defining the Immovable Object

Simply put, a feature is a non-portable archaeological remain that is either:

• Constructed: Intentionally built or created by humans (e.g., a wall, a hearth).
• Modified: A natural feature altered by human activity (e.g., a pit dug into the ground, a stream channel diverted).
• Depositional: Formed by the accumulation of materials resulting from human actions (e.g., a midden, a buried occupation surface).

Think of it this way: if you tried to pick it up and take it back to the lab, you’d probably need a construction crew, a crane, and a very understanding museum director. 🏗️ Features are integrated into the surrounding matrix – the soil, sediment, or rock – and their meaning often lies in their context: their relationship to other features, artifacts, and the environment.

Table 1: Examples of Common Archaeological Features

Feature Type	Description	Function (Examples)	Associated Artifacts (Examples)
Hearths 🔥	Evidence of controlled fire. Often characterized by burnt soil, ash, charcoal, and fire-cracked rock.	Cooking, heating, light, tool production, ritual.	Pottery sherds, animal bones, charred plant remains, tools.
Walls 🧱	Structures built to enclose space, provide support, or demarcate boundaries.	Shelter, defense, storage, social division, religious purposes.	Building materials (stone, brick, wood), plaster, architectural decoration.
Pits 🕳️	Excavations into the ground. Highly variable in size, shape, and function.	Storage, refuse disposal, burial, ritual offerings, raw material extraction.	Wide range of artifacts depending on function, including pottery, bones, tools, personal ornaments.
Postholes 🪵	Holes created to hold posts, often indicating the location of structures.	Supporting walls, fences, roofs, platforms.	Post molds (preserved remains of the post), packing stones, soil disturbances.
Middens 🗑️	Refuse heaps or dumps containing discarded materials. A goldmine for archaeologists!	Waste disposal, providing information on diet, technology, and social practices.	Broken pottery, animal bones, plant remains, tools, clothing fragments, anything and everything!
Floors/Occupation Surfaces 👣	Areas of compacted earth or constructed surfaces indicating human activity.	Living spaces, working areas, ritual spaces.	Artifacts scattered across the surface, wear patterns, postholes, hearths.

II. Why Bother with These Big, Messy Things? The Importance of Feature Analysis

Okay, so they’re not shiny. But features are absolutely vital for understanding the past. Here’s why:

• Context is King (and Queen): Features provide the context for artifacts. An arrowhead found on the surface is interesting. An arrowhead found inside a burial pit tells a story about funerary rituals. A pottery shard found within a hearth tells about cooking habits. Understanding the relationship between artifacts and features is key to interpreting past behaviors.
• Insights into Daily Life: Features offer direct evidence of how people lived their daily lives. Hearths reveal cooking practices, living spaces, and even social gatherings. Storage pits tell us about food preservation and resource management.
• Chronological Markers: Features can be dated using radiocarbon dating (for organic materials like charcoal) or other methods, providing a framework for understanding the chronology of a site. A feature can be dated with carbon-14, and any artifacts within that feature can then be related to the feature’s date.
• Reconstructing Past Landscapes: The distribution of features across a landscape can reveal settlement patterns, agricultural practices, and trade routes. Imagine mapping all the wells in an ancient city – you’d learn a lot about water management and resource distribution!
• Understanding Ritual and Ideology: Some features, like burial mounds, temples, and ceremonial structures, provide insights into the beliefs and practices of past societies. A complex burial might tell about social structures and hierarchies.

(Image: A thought bubble above an archaeologist’s head, filled with images of ancient houses, fields, and people going about their daily lives.)

III. The Feature Forensics: Methods of Investigation

So, how do we actually study these things? It’s not as simple as just digging them up. A meticulous and methodical approach is essential. Here’s a breakdown of the key steps:

1. Identification and Documentation:

   • Recognition: Learn to identify different types of features in the field. This comes with experience! Look for changes in soil color, texture, or composition. Pay attention to unusual shapes or patterns. (Is that just a weird rock, or is it part of a wall?)
   • Photography: Photograph everything! Before, during, and after excavation. Use a scale and north arrow in every photo. 📸
   • Mapping: Create detailed maps of feature locations and their relationships to other features and artifacts. Use surveying equipment (total stations, GPS) or even good old-fashioned tape measures and compasses.
   • Descriptive Records: Write detailed descriptions of each feature, including its size, shape, orientation, contents, and surrounding context. Use standardized terminology and be as precise as possible.

2. Excavation:

   • Stratigraphic Excavation: Excavate features in layers (strata) to understand their formation and chronology. Follow natural soil layers or arbitrary levels if natural layers are unclear. This is paramount.
   • Controlled Excavation: Carefully excavate each feature, documenting the location of all artifacts and samples. Use a grid system to record the precise location of each find.
   • Soil Screening: Screen all excavated soil to recover even small artifacts and ecofacts (plant and animal remains). You’d be surprised what you can miss with just your eyes.
   • Flotation: Use flotation to recover small plant remains (seeds, charcoal) from soil samples. This can provide valuable information about diet and environment.

3. Sampling:

   • Soil Samples: Collect soil samples for various analyses, including:
     • Pollen analysis: To reconstruct past vegetation. 🌸
     • Phytolith analysis: To identify plant remains even when pollen is not preserved.
     • Chemical analysis: To identify residues of food, fuels, or other materials.
     • Micromorphology: To examine the microscopic structure of soil and identify traces of human activity.
   • Charcoal Samples: Collect charcoal samples for radiocarbon dating.
   • Bone Samples: Collect bone samples for species identification, age determination, and stable isotope analysis (to reconstruct diet).

4. Analysis and Interpretation:

   • Artifact Analysis: Analyze the artifacts found within the feature to understand its function and use.
   • Spatial Analysis: Analyze the spatial distribution of features and artifacts to identify patterns and relationships. Use GIS (Geographic Information Systems) software to create maps and analyze spatial data.
   • Comparative Analysis: Compare the feature to similar features from other sites to gain a broader understanding of its cultural context.
   • Contextual Analysis: Interpret the feature in the context of the site as a whole, considering its relationship to other features, artifacts, and the environment.

(Image: A flow chart illustrating the steps of feature analysis, from identification to interpretation.)

IV. Common Feature Types: A Closer Look

Let’s delve into some specific feature types and discuss how they can be interpreted:

• Hearths: These are essentially ancient campfires. Analyzing hearths can tell us:

  • Fuel sources: What types of wood were used? (Indicates available resources and preferences.)
  • Cooking practices: What types of foods were cooked? (Animal bones, charred plant remains.)
  • Tool production: Were fires used for smelting metals or firing pottery? (Slag, kiln fragments.)
  • Social activities: Were hearths used for communal gatherings? (Distribution of artifacts around the hearth.)
  • Dating: A well-preserved hearth with plenty of charcoal is a prime candidate for radiocarbon dating.

  Table 2: Interpreting Hearth Features

  Evidence	Possible Interpretation
  Large amount of charcoal and ash	Frequent and/or long-term use
  Presence of specific types of wood (e.g., hardwoods)	Selection for fuel efficiency
  High density of fire-cracked rock	Use for cooking with heated stones
  Association with animal bones and plant remains	Food preparation and consumption
  Presence of metalworking debris	Use for smelting or smithing

• Walls: Walls are the foundations of civilization (literally!). Analyzing walls can tell us:

  • Building techniques: What materials were used? How were the walls constructed? (Indicates technological skills and available resources.)
  • Building function: What was the purpose of the building? (Dwelling, storage, defense, ritual.)
  • Social organization: Were buildings clustered together or widely dispersed? (Indicates settlement patterns and social relationships.)
  • Architectural style: What was the style of architecture? (Indicates cultural influences and aesthetic preferences.)
  • Dating: Building materials (e.g., timber) can be dated using dendrochronology (tree-ring dating) or radiocarbon dating.

  Example: A massive stone wall surrounding a settlement suggests a need for defense, possibly indicating warfare or social unrest.

• Pits: These are the "junk drawers" of the archaeological record. Analyzing pits can tell us:

  • Pit function: What was the pit used for? (Storage, refuse disposal, burial, ritual offerings.)
  • Dietary practices: What types of food were stored or discarded in the pit? (Animal bones, plant remains.)
  • Technological practices: What types of tools or materials were discarded in the pit? (Broken pottery, chipped stone tools.)
  • Ritual practices: Were any special objects or offerings placed in the pit? (Ceremonial artifacts, animal sacrifices.)
  • Dating: Organic materials found in the pit can be dated using radiocarbon dating.

  Warning: Pits can be tricky to interpret. They often contain a mix of materials from different time periods. Careful stratigraphic excavation is essential.

• Postholes: These are the ghosts of buildings past. Analyzing postholes can tell us:

  • Building size and shape: How big was the building? What was its shape? (Based on the arrangement of postholes.)
  • Construction techniques: How were the posts supported? (Packing stones, post molds.)
  • Building function: What was the purpose of the building? (Dwelling, storage, workshop.)
  • Settlement patterns: How were buildings arranged within the settlement? (Indicates social organization and land use.)

  Tip: Look for patterns in the distribution of postholes. A circular arrangement might indicate a roundhouse, while a rectangular arrangement might indicate a rectangular building.

• Middens: Archaeological garbage dumps. Truly, these are treasure troves of information. Analyzing middens can tell us:

  • Diet: What did people eat? (Identified by animal bones and plant remains)
  • Technology: What tools and materials did they use? (Identified by discarded tools and broken objects)
  • Social Status: Did everyone have the same access to resources? (Differences in the quantity and quality of artifacts)
  • Environmental changes: How did climate or resource availability change over time? (Changes in plant and animal remains)

• Floors/Occupation Surfaces: The places where life happened. Analyzing floors can tell us:

  • Activity areas: What activities took place in different parts of the space? (Distribution of artifacts and features)
  • Building use: What was the overall function of the building? (Based on the types of activities that took place within it)
  • Cleanliness and maintenance: How well was the space maintained? (Amount of debris and evidence of cleaning)
  • Social organization: How was the space divided and used by different people? (Spatial patterns in artifact distribution)

V. Challenges and Pitfalls: Avoiding the Archaeological Abyss

Feature analysis is not without its challenges. Here are some common pitfalls to avoid:

• Disturbance: Features can be disturbed by later human activity or natural processes (erosion, animal burrows). This can make it difficult to interpret their original function and context.
• Incomplete Excavation: Excavating only part of a feature can lead to misinterpretations. Always strive to excavate features completely, if possible.
• Poor Documentation: Inadequate documentation (photos, maps, descriptions) can make it impossible to reconstruct the feature’s context and interpret its meaning. Be meticulous!
• Subjective Interpretation: Avoid imposing your own biases or assumptions on the data. Base your interpretations on solid evidence and sound reasoning.
• The "Magic Bullet" Fallacy: Don’t assume that a single feature can explain everything about a site. Feature analysis is just one piece of the puzzle.

(Image: An archaeologist face-palming, with the caption "Oops! I forgot to take photos!")

VI. Ethical Considerations: Respecting the Past

Remember that archaeological features are not just dirt and rocks. They are remnants of past human lives and hold cultural significance for descendant communities. It’s essential to approach feature analysis with respect and sensitivity.

• Consult with local communities: Involve local communities in the research process and seek their input on the interpretation of features.
• Preserve features whenever possible: Avoid excavating features unless it is necessary for research or preservation.
• Document features thoroughly: Even if you cannot preserve a feature in situ, document it thoroughly so that future generations can learn from it.
• Disseminate your findings: Share your research findings with the public through publications, presentations, and online resources.

VII. Conclusion: Features – The Foundation of Archaeological Understanding

So, there you have it: a whirlwind tour of feature analysis! While they might not be as glamorous as gold artifacts, features are essential for understanding the past. By carefully excavating, documenting, and analyzing these non-portable remains, we can reconstruct past landscapes, learn about daily life, and gain insights into the beliefs and practices of past societies.

Now go forth, my students, and excavate responsibly! And remember, always take pictures. 😉

(Image: A group of archaeologists, smiling and covered in dirt, standing proudly next to a newly excavated feature.)

Further Reading (Because you should read more!):

• Hester, Thomas R., Harry J. Shafer, and Kenneth L. Feder. Field Methods in Archaeology. 7th ed. Waveland Press, 2009.
• Renfrew, Colin, and Paul Bahn. Archaeology: Theories, Methods, and Practice. 7th ed. Thames & Hudson, 2015.
• Various articles and journals focusing on specific regional archaeologies. Look for publications related to the geographic area you are interested in!

(Bonus Tip): Always bring sunscreen, bug spray, and a sense of humor to the field. You’ll need them! ☀️🦟😂