Ravine Pit

A large refuse pit cut into the side of the ravine along the eastern edge of the Atkinson site was excavated between the summers of 2000 and 2001. The excavation of the pit revealed that a great deal of the site’s artifacts had eroded down slope, covering the primary “cut” of the refuse feature with strata rich in artifacts, producing the highest density and diversity of artifacts anywhere in the site area in stark contrast to the area around the various structures which was virtually devoid of any artifacts, with a few notable exceptions. Artifacts recovered from the ravine pit feature include European produced stoneware and coarse earthenware ceramics, glass, locally produced coarse earthenware ceramics, colonoware, numerous locally manufactured and imported tobacco pipe fragments, gun flints, clothing buttons, small glass beads, lead shot, spoons, scissors, book clasps, and lock parts to name a few. The analysis of the incredible number of artifacts, particularly the small finds, recovered from the ravine pit feature, will be especially useful in the upcoming weeks and months as the archaeologist formulate their interpretations of what life may have been like for those living on the site in the late seventeenth century. In particular, the artifact research will focus on the artifacts that have been commonly recovered from other slave quarter sites, such as the glass beads, colonoware ceramics, and locally manufactured pipes among others, all of which have been linked to the presence of African-Americans slaves or indentured servants.

The burial environment of the pit was also particularly favorable for the preservation of metal objects, and especially animal bones. Preliminary analysis of the bones conducted by Stephen Atkins of Colonial Williamsburg on the materials recovered from the pit revealed a surprising variety of animal bone. In addition to the expected domestic animals such as pig, cattle, and chicken, Atkins identified bones of numerous fish, wild birds, raccoon, opossum, turtle, and even a dolphin vertebra with butchery marks suggesting an extremely varied diet for the site’s late seventeenth-century residents. Equally intriguing was the results of the analysis of the phytolith composition of the pit feature, which seemed to have a mostly homogeneous fill, except at its base. The base layer of the feature, which is what was most likely a soil active in the seventeenth century, and was not a later fill, had strong signatures of oat (Avena sativa) or similar cereal chaff, possibly suggesting crop processing or animal fodder activity happening in or around the pit.

Once the final layers of the ravine pit feature were removed, a posthole was identified on the eastern edge of the feature. The identification of the posthole, together with the phytolith fodder evidence, suggests the possibility that the pit may have been once been used as a rudimentary shelter for animals such as pigs. In this scenario, the post may have supported a simple roof to protect the animals from the elements. Ultimately, however, regardless of what the originally intended purpose of the pit may have been, the pit eventually evolved into a repository or trash dump for the household debris from the site.

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