THE ARCHAEOLOGY OF 31HY43, "POMEIOOC"

1985-1986 FIELD SEASONS

Paul R. Green

1. INTRODUCTION

This is the story of the search for the Indian village of Pomeiooc. In the late 16th century, King Philip II of Spain ruled over a vast colonial empire in the New World, from the arid southwest of North America to the Andes Mountains in South America. To challenge this great power, Queen Elizabeth I of England encouraged the efforts of private companies and individuals to found English settlements in the New World. In 1582 Sir Humphrey Gilbert led an ill-fated attempt to annex what is now Newfoundland for the English queen. By early 1584, Sir Walter Raleigh had mustered economic backing to mount England's first serious effort at colonization.

In the spring of that year an expedition of two small ships, under the leadership of Philip Amadas and Arthur Barlowe, sailed westward to North America. Making landfall in early July, the English explored the Carolina Sounds for several months. Contacts were made with the native inhabitants of the coastal plain, members of the Alongkian language family. From friendly Algonkians, Amadas and Barlowe were able to gain a detailed picture of the physical and human resources of the 'new land', information which figured prominently in their glowing reports to the Crown.

These native Americans lived in planned communities of several hundred to several thousand persons. They had a diverse, nutritious diet based on maize (corn), melons, (Page 1) squash, beans, sunflower, and the natural harvest of wild game, fish, and shellfish. Villages were laid out as open settlements, with houses arranged beside thoroughfares, or as circular palisaded towns, with a dozen or more longhouses, the chief's house, and a religious building clustered within the wall.

Raleigh rapidly and efficiently marshalled his resources for a major attempt at settlement in 1585. A group of vessels under the command of Sir Richard Grenville left England in April 1585 and, after some notable adventures in the Spanish Caribbean, made landfall on the Outer Banks of what is now North Carolina in late June. Beginning on July 11, Grenville led an exploratory mission across Pamlico Sound to the mainland, accompanied by Ralph Lane, John White, Thomas Harriot and others. Probably led by their Algonkian guide and informant, Manteo, they made their way to the village of Pomeiooc (or Pomeioc) (pronounced Po-me-ock), a walled town with some eighteen structures. The party remained at Pomeiooc on July 12, giving ample opportunity to observe the native inhabitants and their surroundings. John White, an accomplished artist, rendered several sketches of the settlement and the people before departing with the others down the Pamlico and perhaps the Neuse rivers.

Leaving behind about a hundred men on Roanoke Island under the command of Ralph Lane to begin construction of a fortified settlement, Grenville returned to England in late (Page 2) summer-early fall with his larger ships. Throughout 1585 relations with Spain had worsened, especially as Sir Francis Drake continued his effective raids on Spanish commerce and treasure convoys in the Atlantic. The threat of major armed conflict with Spain hung like a heavy cloud over the fledgling colony in "Virginia", as it was called in honor of Elizabeth. Lane supervised the construction of a fort and settlement on Roanoke Island and made several daring explorations into the new land, one up the Roanoke River in search of the great copper mines at "Chaunis Temoatan" and the other northward to study the reportedly numerous and powerful peoples of the Chesapeake Bay.

In the spring of 1586, Lane's supplies began to run out and the men looked eagerly for resupply and reinforcement from England. This appeared to be the case when English ships were sighted off the Outer Banks in June. However, this was not a supply directed to them, but rather Drake's powerful naval squadron returning homeward from another successful Caribbean raid. Drake offered resupply or safe transport back to England. Lane intended on continuing the colony, but the untimely intervention of a serious storm scattered Drake's ships and snapped many anchor cables. The necessary combination of ship and supplies missing, Lane decided to abandon the settlement for the time being, departing hastily with his people on Drakes' ships in June 1586. (Page 3)

Some of John White's drawings and Harriot's notes on the new land were reportedly lost in the haste of departure, but thankfully a large number of them were saved, including the depictions of the Indian towns of Secoton and Pomeiooc. The drawings of Pomeiooc (Figures 1) and Secoton (Figures 2) are two of the most frequently reproduced figures in history; centuries of laymen and scholars have speculated on their location, all without success. A review of the historic references to Pomeiooc can be found in Lautzenheiser (1984).

A stockaded village is shown by White, with eighteen rectangular houses and other buildings arranged in a concentric pattern. In three sketches and maps, Pomeiooc is shown to lie between a large lake and the headwaters of a stream empyting into Roanoke Sound (Figures 3, 4, 5). Fields of maize and other crops are arranged about the village. The chief and his extended family and the shaman or priests probably lived within the palisade, "commoners" outside (Figures 1, 6, 7). Since no fires are shown within the houses, cooking was probably done outside, perhaps in one communal area. Houses were constructed on a rectangular plan, with a frame of saplings covered by cane matting which could be raised or lowered for privacy and ventilation. A conical roofed "temple" is shown, and in the Sloane version of "Pomeiooc" a large "chief's" residence is added (Figure 7). The palisade wall itself consisted of two nested semicirdes of defoliated trees. Some historians speculate that White exaggerated the (Page 4) spacing between the posts to permit a clearer view of the village. Others feel the spacing is fairly accurate, with the wall serving more to deter sudden, surprise attacks rather than resist a siege in the European sense. A paraphrase of the caption in the original figure reads: 'small poles stuck thick together instead of a wall.' Here at least there is the sense of close set posts, each rather small in size, perhaps comparable to those of the houses themselves.

The approach of the four hundredth anniversary of the Roanoke voyages and the celebratory activities surrounding the event renewed interest in the Carolina Algonkians. Funding from America's Four Hundredth Anniversary Committee was made available to search for and identify the remnants of these Indian villages. The background of the present work in eastern Hyde County may be found in Lautzenheiser (1984).

In 1985, a methodical foot survey of fields along the ridge flanking the eastern side of Lake Mattamuskeet discovered surface artifacts of the Late Woodland period in a cornfield near Amity Church. Further survey and excavation revealed the presence of Colington Phase (Phelps 1983) features, including pits and postmold alignments. The aboriginal ceramic assemblage characterized by Colington Simple Stamped pottery is thought to indicate occupation(s) in the period A.D. 1400-1700.

The 1986 work at 31HY43 sought to extend understanding (Page 5) of the features found in 1985, while enlarging the area of site coverage to expose complete palisade and house patterns, if they existed. To that end, heavy emphasis was placed on removal of plow zone sediments over large areas, which were then photographed and plotted but left largely unexcavated, except for selected features. Thus the overall artifact sample was not greatly increased from 1985, and the cultural patterns noted earlier were sustained in the latest finds. Major finds of the 1986 season include the discovery of a possible palisade wall, the uncovering of two houses, one of which was rebuilt, and the dating of two Colington features. (Page 6)

2. SURVEY

In 1983 and 1984 a county wide survey by Cindy Cook directed some effort in the eastern part of Hyde County to the Pomeiooc question (Cook 1984). From the maps of the Carolina Sounds by White and DeBry and an anonymous early sketch map of what is now Hyde and Dare counties, it is possible to locate the site between Lake Mattamuskeet and Pamlico Sound (Figures 2, 3, 4). The sketch map further shows Pomeiooc to be located at the apparently seasonal headwaters of an unnamed stream, relatively close to the lake and a moderate distance from the sound. An early statement to the effect that Pomeiooc was located "hard by the sea" is difficult to interpret, as the relative proximity of the sound would depend partly on the scale being used as reference. At the scale of White's maps, the dot marking Pomeiooc's location could be interpreted broadly as being "hard by the sea."

Modern drainage and cultivation practices have greatly altered the vegetation and hydrology of eastern Hyde County. Much land that was formerly unsuited for agriculture now produces rich harvests of wheat, corn, and soybeans. We do not know what the pre-European topography, hydrology, and vegetative cover looked like in this area. Cook assumed that aboriginal sites would be more likely on the ridge (Page 7) surrounding most of the lake, given the beneficial drainage of soil moisture.

Lowlying areas between the ridge and the sound would have been avoided due to the year-round wetness of the soil. Small sites could be expected along the shore of the sound where shellfishing and fishing was possible. Finally, the pace of Euroamerican settlement along the ridge over the past three centuries has been slow and dispersed in nature, so that any disturbance of previous Indian sites would have been relatively minor.

Cook found that the aboriginal occupation of eastern Hyde County was on a small, dispersed scale for all periods. No large village sites were identified for any aboriginal period, with the most substantial sites being shellfishing stations and temporary camps along the sound shore. The time range of Pomeiooc's existence is unknown, but it should fall within a generation or two either side of the 1585 contact with Europeans (say 1530 to 1630).

Given the low fertility of the area's soils relative to aboriginal agricultural practices and the poor drainage situation, potential arable lands were probably exhausted fairly quickly. Thus the typical village may have been in any one location for a generation or two at most, after which a move was required. Village sites should thus be fairly widespread for the presumably agriculturally based societies of the Late Woodland period (ca. A.D. 800-1650) in North (Page 8) Carolina's coastal plain. Cook's observed pattern was different: site densities for all periods were low compared to other counties.

There are reasons why the above model may be inadequate for this area. First, certain locations are particularly well favored in terms of available resources on a year-round basis. There may have been no urgency to move from such a setting. Second, our knowledge of the physical and biotic environments of Hyde County is incomplete. There is no detailed modern soil survey, for example, so we do not know the true productivity of the soils under different agricultural systems.

As a footnote to the latter point, we offer the comments of the North Carolina state geologist in the mid-l9th century:

In a later passage, Hearn (1910:12) commented:

The area to the east side of Lake Mattamuskeet is shown on a generalized 1973 soil map (Figure 8) as belonging to the Weeksville-Pasquotank association (Soil Conservation Service 1973), defined as "very poorly and poorly drained soils with black to gray very fine sandy loam or silt loam surface layers over friable silt loam or stratified sands." This description glosses over the ridge which flanks the lake in that area, and on which most of the Euroamerican settlement has taken place.

In October 1984 Cook and Lautzenheiser conducted a brief survey directed primarily at locating possible candidates for Pomeiooc (Lautzenheiser 1984). Areas surveyed in 1984-1985 are shown in Figure 9. The chief indicator, as before, would be the presence of the dominant pottery ware of the coastal Late Woodland period, shell tempered Colington Ware (see Phelps 1983 for a detailed description of the Colington phase). Their survey areas concentrated on the ridge circling the east side of Lake Mattamuskeet and along stream drainages emptying into Pamlico Sound and thought to (Page 10) be reasonable candidates for the stream leading to Pomeiooc (Figure 9).

Some 1200 acres were surveyed and a number of historic sites located, but only two aboriginal potsherds were found. These belong to the Middle Woodland period (300 B.C. - A.D. 800), being of the Mount Pleasant series previously defined by David Phelps (1983). Not only was a viable candidate for Pomeiooc not forthcoming, but no Late Woodland sites were recorded. However, a very useful result of this survey and its predecessor was the elimination of a large area from the territory to be examined in the future. Given the vagueness of the historical accounts at the fine scale "on the ground", finding Pomeiooc or reasonable candidates for it would be a combination of good luck and perseverance.

In May 1985, archaeologists from East Carolina University began a third survey in eastern Hyde County with the goal of locating possible traces of Pomeiooc. The search focused again on the lake ridge and stream channels, filling in gaps in previous survey coverage (Figure 9). Surface visibility was generally very good to excellent. The observers spaced themselves about five meters apart when walking fields, fifteen meters when in fields of 100% visibility. After a week and a half of surveying nearly 700 acres, only one aboriginal potsherd had been found, again of the Middle Woodland period. Four histdric sites were located, however, and their finds are listed briefly in Table 1 (Page 11). All of these sites date to the period from about 1780 to present.

On May 23, 1985, in the twenty-fourth field surveyed, Holley noticed some tiny crumbs of pottery on the surface of a cornfield less than half a kilometer from Amity Church and about five kilometers southwest of Engelhard. An intensive collection of the surface produced dozens of sherds, albeit of small size, and a relatively large number of pipe stems, all of aboriginal manufacture (Table 2; Figure 10). Furthermore, the pottery was shell-tempered and simple stamped, indicating an occupation of the Late Woodland period. (Page 12)

3. EXCAVATION

A. 1985 Field Work

Next to the cornfield where the surface finds were made was a narrow unused strip about two meters wide, and next to that a field in winter wheat nearly ready for harvesting. With the owner's permission, a small test unit was excavated in the cleared strip; several postmolds suggestive of an aboriginal structure were noted, along with a linear gray-black soil stain and Indian pottery in levels below the plow zone (Figure 11). When the adjacent wheat field was harvested and burned off, test excavations were carried out there in the time remaining.

One nineteen meter long by half-meter wide trench was dug atop the high part of the ridge in a north-south direction (Figure 12). Isolated test units were also excavated over the wheat field. The test units showed a much smaller density of pottery than found on the surface in the cornfield. Also, a number of well preserved Middle Woodland sherds began to appear at lower levels in the test units. It now appears that this Middle Woodland settlement occupied the ridge when the lake was much closer than at present. After abandonment of the site, shifting beach sands covered the component, which now lies just west and downslope of the ridge crest.

The ridge trench produced very little in the way of artifacts, but did reveal some interesting features, namely (Page 13) two animal burials and part of a semicircular structure (Figures 13 and 14). Animal Burial 1 (Feature 10) contained at least two dog skeletons and a few modern inclusions, such as clear window glass fragments. The edge of the feature was clearly defined by shovel marks (Figure 14). Animal Burial 2 (Feature 11) was a bird, species yet unidentified, that contained both gizzard stones and lead shot. The semicircular structure was identified by widely spaced postmolds (Figure 15), but no features or artifacts were noted to exist in association with it.

From July 8 to 24, 1985, archaeologists from East Carolina University, assisted by two laborers and an assortment of able volunteers conducted a second phase of work at the site, now termed 31HY43 in the North Carolina state site recording system. The site grid system was established in the cleared acre of corn and eight 2 x 2 meter units laid out for excavation (Figure 16). As the plow zone was carefully skim shovelled and screened, numerous pottery fragments and pipestems were found, again of the Late Woodland period. Once the plow zone was removed, interesting features finally became evident (Figures 16, 17, 18, 19; Table 3).

Dark stains turned out to be trash pits or midden lenses, with well preserved oyster shell, deer bone, turtle shell, and fish bones mixed in with Colington Simple Stamped pottery (Figures 17 to 19). A third historic animal burial, again with lead shot, was discovered above Feature 4 (Figure 19, upper). (Page 14) As the main excavation area was expanded, a linear area of greasy, spongy black sediment was noted (Figure 20, lower). Further work showed this to be a ditch (Feature 6), nearly a meter wide and deep, with a finely stratified upper zone and a large lower zone of homogeneous gray-black fill.

No Euroamerican artifacts were found in the fill of Feature 6 in 1985, only aboriginal specimens. The principal pottery contained in it was Colington, but with a few Middle Woodland sherds probably mixed in during formation or construction of the feature. We were able to trace the ditch over 45 meters (Figure 15), and noted dramatic soil color mottling near its course (Figures 20, 21, 22, 23). The purpose of the ditch was unknown, but possibilities included its role(s) as:

On July 15 a tractor was employed to strip away the plow zone from three long paths in the cleared area; each about sixty meters long and three wide (Figure 24). The first path, termed Trench I, was located on the highest part of the sandy ridge, with Trenches II and III in successively more westerly positions. In Trench I were observed scores of postmolds, parts of various overlapping structural (Page 15) alignments (Figure 25). A half-dozen pit stains were also recorded (cf. Figure 26).

In Trench II a large cooking pit (Feature 8) was uncovered, with well preserved deer bone, Colington Simple Stamped pottery, and oyster shell mixed in with much charcoal (Figure 27, lower). Given its location and appearance, Feature 8 may be related to a central cooking area or communal hearth for the village (Figure 28). Trench II also contained a well defined structural pattern, with the postmolds of both exterior walls and the interior supports clearly visible (Figure 29). Its estimated dimensions are seventeen meters long and seven wide. Trench III contained a broken Colington Simple Stamped vessel (Feature 7; Figure 27, upper). Both Trenches II and III contained large amounts of intact midden, which apparently increases in depth away from the ridge.

Figure 30 shows the location of areas cleared and excavated in 1985 and 1986. Table 3 lists all features identified to date.


B. 1986 Field Work

The 1986 field season lasted from March 15 to July 18. Funding constraints limited the size of the field crew to the Project Director and one or two assistants at any one time. With limited manpower and the pressing need to achieve results of unmistakable interest to the public, we decided in (Page 16) 1986 to open a contiguous area among and to the south of the main excavation units from 1985. No further work was performed in the 1985 wheat/bean field where the dog burials were found.

Once again a tractor and towed blade was employed to remove the plow zone. This plow zone material was not screened, based on our previous observations of the low density of cultural material within it. Subsequent weathering of the spoil heaps of plow zone confirmed our decision, with only a few, small artifacts appearing from them. The area cleared of plow zone measured about 30 meters north-south and some 20 to 24 meters east-west. A copy of the working field map is shown in Figure 30, with all features and postmolds found to date included.

After this initial clearing operation, which required several days, the remainder of the field season consisted principally of skim shovelling away the remainder of the plow zone to reveal intact features and postmold alignments. A few features were also selected for excavation. For the most part, however, our efforts were directed to cleaning the exposed area and recording it by photography and plotting.

Our first efforts focused on Feature 6, the linear ditch of uncertain date and function first detected in 1985 (Figure 20). Eventually some 21 meters of this ditch were exposed (Figure 30). Parts of the feature itself were excavated and sifted. Although the stratigraphy identified (Page 17) within the ditch in 1985 was sustained throughout its length, the number of artifacts found decreased to the east. No evidence of postmolds was found at the bottom of the ditch. Furthermore, several Euroamerican pipe fragments and a few small pieces of oxidized iron were recovered in the fill. Although not conclusive, our current opinion is that the ditch is associated with l8th-l9th century field systems of the Euroamerican occupation.

This disappointing turn (for our purposes) was offset by the discovery immediately adjacent to Feature 6 of a dense pattern of postmolds. Feature 25 consists of dozens of small postmolds in a slightly curving pattern (Figure 31). Typically only a few centimeters separate the postmolds, and in places they merge into one linear pattern. To the east the pattern of Feature 25 was cut by Feature 6. To the west its track becomes difficult to trace. It may merge with Feature 6, or have been obliterated by other features, or in fact relate to the pattern identified in 1985 in units -l5R0 to -17R0. Despite searching in the area between Structure 1 and Feature 6, no signs of Feature 25 have been identified. We speculate, based on what is now known about the site, that Feature 25 may indeed be a palisade wall of small posts which encircled the village.

The next phase of work covered the area north of Feature 6. Feature 16 (Figure 32) is a shovel-cut shallow ditch that roughly parallels Feature 6. Clearly modern, it (Page 18) nevertheless produced a handsome aboriginal pipe stem from its fill. Features 17-19 are small, hemispherical pits. Easily visible by their black fill, their excavation (Figures 33 to 34) produced no artifacts and only small amounts of wood charcoal from flotation samples. Their cultural association and function remain unknown. Two concentrations of pottery were found just north of Feature 6. Feature 20 consisted of two dozen Middletown Ware sherds (described below) apparently distributed on a sandy surface some 10-20 cm below the Colington occupation. Feature 21 was a scatter of Colington Ware sherds, pipe fragments, deer bone, and charcoal just below the plow zone in unit -12L10.

As described earlier, in 1985 Tractor Trench II had crosscut postmold patterns from what was apparently a longhouse of aboriginal construction (Figure 29). We now turned our efforts to exposing as much of this pattern (Structure 1, Feature 23) as possible. Figure 30 shows the final pattern of this building. It measures some 14.5 meters long by 6.8 meters wide (47.6 ft x 22.3 ft). These dimensions are slightly larger than those produced by the speculations of Quinn and others in their historical analyses of the Roanoke voyages, but are in the same proportions as expressed by the latter.

The plan view of Structure 1 contains a number of features found in White's depiction of the Pomeiooc buildings. Aside from the shape, size and general (Page 19) proportions, each long wall contains parallel rows of postmolds on the interior (Figures 35 and 36). These can be little else than benches, shelves, or platforms of the type depicted by White (Figure 1). Bench posts are slightly smaller in diameter than the typical exterior wall posts. Not shown on White's figure but found here are interior support posts, of greater than average diameter (Figure 37). The northeast end of the structure contains patterns of postmolds which suggest a partitioning of the interior space for some unknown purpose.

Several large stains were identified in the interior of Structure 1, but very little significant context or artifacts remained intact below the plow zone in this area. One of the postmolds on the northeast exterior wall was excavated, however, and produced fill containing Colington Simple Stamped pottery and a Late Woodland pipe stem. This is good evidence that the house is of comparable age to Feature 8 (a.d. 1500+100). Significantly, no evidence of hearths was found within or near Structure 1, supporting the White drawing.

Grid northeast of Structure 1 a second pattern of postmolds began to appear, Structure 2 (Figure 38). Actually, a number of these postmolds had first been identified in 1985, at the far northern end of Tractor Trench I. Their significance could not be assessed at that time, however, given the limited areal exposure. Clearing this (Page 20) area, we discovered a complex pattern of postmo1ds which lend themselves to a variety of interpretations. One possibility is that the alignments are those of a single, squarish plan house, with wide interior platforms along each wall.

Our opinion is that two building episodes are represented, with one partially superimposed on the other. Both structures are approximately 8 meters long by 6 wide (26.2 ft x 19.7 ft). These smaller dwellings are similar to those depicted in the White drawing (Figure 1). Again, interior supports and benches are found, but no evidence of fire. Two small pits occur in and near Structure 2, Features 12 and 13. Half of Feature 12 was excavated and the fill removed for flotation sampling (Figures 39 - 40). As with Features 17-19, no artifacts were recovered from the fill, and wood charcoal formed the carbonized matrix from the float samples.

No actual "living floor" was identified in Structure 2, probably truncated long ago by the bottom portion of the plow zone. As in Structure 1, several of the postmolds in Structure 2 contained flecks of Colington Simple stamped pottery. The clearing of Structure 2 concluded the digging, to be followed by drawing and photography. (Page 21)

4. ARTIFACTS AND ANALYSIS

The total artifact assemblage from 31HY43 is not great as numbers go, and there a number of reasons. Our work to date has emphasized clearing plow zone and discovering features. Few features have been excavated, and no plow zone was screened after the first test units. This site, however, does seem to have a lower density of specimens compared to other Woodland period villages in the North Carolina coastal plain. This may be due to a rather short period of occupation and a small population, say one or two generations and 150-200 people. More work is needed to shed light on this topic.

Copies of the inventory sheets recording all of the specimens found at 31HY43 to date are included at Table 4. Table 5 shows the distribution of prehistoric ceramic wares by catalog number; Table 6 shows this information grouped by provenience units. Of the nearly 1500 sherds collected so far, over 80% are Colington ware (Pheips 1983) (Table 5). Within the Colington assemblage, simple stamping is by far the predominant surface treatment. Colington Simple Stamped pottery was also found:

Colington Simple Stamped ware appears centuries earlier, but always as a minority type compared to Colington Fabric Impressed ware.

These and other factors tend to show that sites with large proportions of Colington Simple Stamped ware in the ceramic assemblage may date to the last portion of the Late Woodland period, perhaps 1500 and later. However, further study is necessary to determine if such is the only variable, or whether spatial and ethnic factors also play a role in the distribution of the ware.

A distinctive Middle Woodland assemblage is characterized by four wares: sand tempered Middletown, shell tempered Mockley, clay tempered Hanover, and an unnamed clay tempered ware. Middletown Ware is a new taxon, defined here provisionally pending further research. Related to Stony Creek and Popes Creek wares in Virginia, the group was defined by Green (1986) at the Chowanoke site in Hertford County, North Carolina, there termed "LH-1". The component at 31HY43 is important because it is "closed" stratigraphically below the Colington occupation. A Potts-type (Page 23) projectile point was found on the surface of 31HY43 near Feature 21; this point type is associated with Middle Woodland occupations in coastal Virginia that contain sand tempered pottery and shell tempered Mockley ware.

Of major interest are the large numbers of aboriginal pipe fragments recovered, some 109 to date. Most of them were found in the northwestern section of the excavation area, near Features 20 and 21. All of the pipes are classic Late Woodland/Protohistoric types, with a variety of incised, rouletted, stamped, and punctated decorations on their smoothed or burnished surfaces (Figure 10). The rouletting or stamping is of particular interest. Despite much interest by professional and amateur archaeologists alike over the years, no one has yet developed a satisfactory explanation as to how these treatments were made.

The term "watchwheel rouletting" has unfortunately attached itself to this technique. While many examples seemingly could have been made with nothing more appropriate, there are other explanations to be tested. We find it less than credible at present that such treatments were made using European watch wheels. Although watches were certainly common in Europe in the seventeenth century, whether they would have been present, much less traded away or lost, in the young Virginia colony in any numbers remains to be demonstrated.

Other finds at 31HY43 include large bone specimens (Page 24) (mostly deer), a well preserved bear canine, a complete jasper Roanoke projectile point (Figure 41, lower), and three pieces of copper. The copper pieces include a rectangular blade fragment, a small, thin fragment that may have been part of a necklace or bracelet, and an oval-shaped ornament with a perforation at one end (Figure 41, upper). Feature 8 produced radiocarbon samples (discussed below) and flotation samples which on a cursory examination appear to contain some corn (Zea mays), though this awaits confirmation.

The most provocative small finds to date are also the most unexpected. During the excavation of Feature 6 a projectile point was found, probably an arrowhead due to its small size. The raw material is handmade European green glass (Figure 41, lower). Shortly afterward a second point on the same material was found, and inspection of the site assemblage in the laboratory identified several flakes or sherds of the same or similar glass.

Several alternative explanations may be advanced for the presence of these artifacts, including direct or indirect contact with: the Spanish to the south, the 1585-87 English expeditions, or the Virginia English in the 1600s. Algonkian projectile points made on European glass have been found in several locations in Virginia: one in Caroline County (MacCord 1969) and one in Essex County (MacCord 1973). In both cases the ceramic and pipestem dating evidence indicates a time of occupation between 1650 and 1700. (Page 25)

Helen Rountree of Old Dominion University provided this timely reference to the possible use of European glass by the Virginia Algonkians:

This warrant possibly refers to the use of glass in making projectile points. Certainly more evidence and study is required before this problem is solved.

Based on a small sample of 101 sherds, the Euroamerican pottery from 31HY43 has a mean ceramic date in the early 1800s (Table 7), which roughly agrees with what we know about the first florescence of house construction and agricultural development along the ridge. The few historic pipestems also appear to date to this period (Figure 42). If the site dated chiefly to the late 17th and early to mid-l8th century, we would expect to find at least some trade evidence of European contact, such as pottery, beads, metal, and the like. No such finds of that period have been found. The major classes of historic artifacts are summarized in Table 2.

Two radiocarbon dates (uncalibrated) were obtained on samples retrieved in the 1986 field season. Feature 2 was a linear accumulation of midden material just below the plow (Page 26) zone. It was the first intact aboriginal feature identified at the site apart from post molds. Containing a small amount of oyster shell and animal bone (deer) and a few Colington Simple Stampled sherds, the feature was the second best candidate for carbon dating. Unfortunately, there was insufficient charred material for a standard sample; oyster shell well in excess of the minimum amount was submitted instead.

The radiocarbon age of the oyster shell is 160+50 b.p., or a.d. 1790+50 (Beta-17508). At the one-sigma level this date is unacceptably late, as substantial Euroamerican houses were being built along the ridge at that time. A viable Algonkian village in their midst is hardly likely nor ever cited in historical records. A two-sigma range would place the feature between 1690 and 1890. The early date is possible, but our opinion is that the determination is erroneously recent, due to the shell being dated, the proximity to the plow zone, or both.

The sample with greater integrity came from Feature 8, the large concentration of charred material, bone, shell, and artifacts found south of the main excavation area during clearing of the Tractor Trenches in 1985. A substantial amount of wood charcoal returned a date of 450+100 b.p., or a.d. 1500+100 (Beta 17507). This determination, even at the one-sigma level, is well within the expected range for the assemblage containing Colington Simple Stamped pottery. It (Page 27) also covers the period of first contact with the English in 1585. Obviously, more age determinations are needed to confirm this association. It would also be a significant contribution to retrieve datable material associated with the Middle Woodland occupation at the site. (Page 28)

5. CONCLUSIONS

The 1985-1986 work revealed that intact aboriginal features remained beneath the plow zone at 31HY43. The complete plan of at least one longhouse was clearly defined; parts of several others were also discovered; one house had been rebuilt in place at least once. Other, less discernible patterns were found as well. A possible palisade wall was discovered. Postmolds from the house patterns produced Colington Simple Stamped pottery and pipe fragments. A radiocarbon date obtained from a Colington feature dated to a.d. 1500+100. Other specimens found which fit our expected Algonkian assemblage include: decorated pipes, copper ornaments, triangular projectile points, shellfish and deer bone remains, and possibly corn.

The total excavated area, while substantial, lacks sufficient feature exposure to conclude that this is historic Pomeiooc. Obviously, such an identification also requires confirmation from a variety of other sources. As in 1985, however, we can assert that no evidence found to date discounts this site as a prime candidate for Pomeiooc. There are, to be sure, elements which suggest later occupation of the site (e.g., glass points, perhaps the rouletted pipes), but the bulk of the evidence tends to confirms the association with the period of the Roanoke voyages.

The Euroamerican and Middle Woodland components found at 31HY43 are interesting and worthy of further study and (Page 29) discussion in their own right, but we recognize the primacy of the mandate given the project at its inception, to locate tangible evidence of settlements contacted by the English during the Roanoke voyages. Additional survey should be undertaken to fairly examine other areas of likely site locations. The 31HY43 find is an exciting and promising one, but prudence and caution should dictate our actions and words until further work is done at the site. (Page 30)

Copyright 2001
Carolina Algonkian Project, All Rights Reserved