The archeology of rock art at the Narrows Rock Shelter, Crawford County, Arkansas
By: by Jerry E. Hilliard with contributions by Gayle J. Fritz and Eben S. Cooper.
Contributors: Fritz, Gayle.; Cooper, Eben S.
Series: Arkansas Archeological Survey research report ;; no. 31
Publisher: Arkansas Archeological Survey
Published: 2004
Place of publication: Fayetteville, Ark
Language: eng
Number of pages: 55
Subjects: Indians of North America -- Arkansas -- Crawford County -- Antiquities.; Excavations (Archaeology) -- Arkansas -- Crawford County.; Geology, Stratigraphic.; Petroglyphs -- Arkansas -- Crawford County.; Rock paintings -- Arkansas -- Crawford County.; Narrows Rockshelter (Ark.); Crawford County (Ark.) -- Antiquities.
Description: A contract between the Ozark-St. Francis National Forests and the Arkansas Archeological Survey resulted in the 1995 Archeology Week excavations at The Narrows, a rock art site in Crawford County, Arkansas. The work was conducted to assess past looting activities and to identify any remaining intact cultural deposits. Areas of undisturbed midden, rich in botanical, fauna, stone tool, and ceramic material, were discovered. One feature, interpreted as a dump of refuse from cleaned-out hearths within the shelter, was identified. It contained a large amount of fire-cracked rock, charred nutshell, and burned bone. Radiocarbon dating indicates refuse in Feature 1 ranged in age from A.D. 1195-1495 (2 sigma, 95% probability); the most likely date for the episode that created Feature 1 is around A.D. 1435. Our most exciting discovery consisted of pigment-stained stone fragments, abrading tools, and hematite, an assemblage we linked to rock art production at the site. A date for creation of the rock art was established by association with these artifacts. The rock art was produced in the course of fall/winter occupation by people related in material culture to those of the Arkansas River Valley during the Spiro and perhaps later Fort Coffee phases.
Notes: Includes bibliographical references and index.
Table of contents: title: Introduction; title: History of archeological investigations; title: 1995 Archeology Week excavation methods; title: The Narrows stratigraphy; title: Artifact analysis; title: Plants and petroglyphs : archeobotanical remains from the Narrows (3CW35) / by Gayle J. Fritz; title: Synthesis of Archeology Week investigations; title: Rock art recording at the Narrows : experimentation with close-range softcopy photogrammetric technique / by Eben S. Cooper.