Mississippi Administrative Code › Title 16 - History, Humanities and Arts › Part 3 - Historic Preservation Division › Chapter 12 - Mississippi Standards and Guidelines for Archaeological Investigations › Rule 16-3-12.7.3 - Guide to the Mississippi Archaeological Site Card

Current through June 25, 2024
As state trinomials are required for final reports, site
				  cards should be submitted
for review
and trinomial
				  assignation prior to report submission. The final site card should be submitted
				  with the report with the assigned trinomial inserted into the correct fields on
				  the final card. We require detailed National Register of Historic Places (NRHP)
				  eligibility justifications for every individual site in order to fulfill our
				  responsibilities as the State Historic Preservation Office (SHPO) pursuant to
				  the National Historic Preservation Act of 7966, as amended (
				  16 U.S.C.
				  470 ).
MDAH requires use of the NAD27 datum for the UTM
				  coordinates. Make sure that your plotted location and the UTM's match; failure
				  to do will result in non-acceptance.
[SITE NAME]: Fill in with the official site name. This
				  includes previously assigned site names or historic names of the property (not
				  the name of the landowner). If this is a new site you decide on the site name.
				  [Please note MDAH has the right to censor or edit inappropriate site names]
[SITE NO.]: This field is left blank on the initial
				  submittal for review. After assigned, it should be filled with the number
				  supplied by MDAH for FINAL submission.
The state trinomial consists of three things:
1. The state number (22)
2. County abbreviation for the county where
				the site was found (see below list of counties and abbreviations).
3. The number assigned to that specific site
				within that county. This is left blank on the initial card (before the number
				is assigned by MDAH). This field should be filled in when you turn in the FINAL
				site card.
County
Abbreviation
Adams
Ad
Alcorn
Al
Amite
Am
Attala
At
Benton
Be
Bolivar
Bo
Calhoun
Ca
Carroll
Cr
Chickasaw
Cs
Choctaw
Ch
Claiborne
Cb
Clarke
Ck
Clay
Cl
Coahoma
Co
Covington
Cv
Desoto
Ds
Forrest
Fo
Franklin
Fr
George
Ge
Greene
Gn
Grenada
Gr
Hancock
Ha
Harrison
Hr
Hinds
Hi
Holmes
Ho
Humphreys
Hu
Issaquena
Is
Itawamba
It
Jackson
Ja
Jasper
Js
Jefferson
Je
Jefferson Davis
Jd
Jones
Jo
Kemper
Ke
Lafayette
La
Lamar
Lm
Lauderdale
Ld
Lawrence
Lw
Leake
Lk
Lee
Le
Leflore
Lf
Lincoln
Li
Lowndes
Lo
Madison
Md
Marion
Ma
Marshall
Mr
Monroe
Mo
Montgomery
Mt
Neshoba
Ne
Newton
Nw
Noxubee
No
Oktibbeha
Ok
Panola
Pa
Pearl River
Pr
Perry
Pe
Pike
Pi
Pontotoc
Po
Prentiss
Ps
Quitman
Qu
Rankin
Ra
Scott
Sc
Sharkey
Sh
Simpson
Si
Smith
Sm
Stone
St
Sunflower
Su
Tallahatchie
Tl
Tate
Ta
Tippah
Ti
Tishomingo
Ts
Tunica
Tu
Union
Un
Walthall
Wl
Warren
Wr
Washington
Ws
Wayne
Wa
Webster
We
Wilkinson
Wk
Wintson
Wi
Yalobusha
Ya
Yazoo
Yz
[OTHER NOS.]: Put field or temporary site numbers you may
				  use BEFORE receiving state trinomials here.
[MAP REF. OR 7.5' QUAD]:
The name(s) of the USGS 7.5 minute quad map(s) on which the
				  site appears.
[COUNTY]:
Put the county that the site appears in here. If the site is
				  located in multiple counties, it receives a separate trinomial for each county
				  (A site card for EVERY trinomial needs to be turned in, meaning if a site
				  traverse counties, separate site cards should be turned in for each county the
				  site falls within).
[SEC.]: The section(s) in which the site is located on the
				  topographic map. A section is approximately one-square-mile block of land
				  located within a specific township and range. There are 36 sections within a
				  Township and Range.
[TWN]: The township in which the site is located. A township
				  is defined as a measure of the distance north or south from a referenced
				  baseline, in units of six miles. Townships run vertically along the topographic
				  map.
[RNG]: The Range in which the site is located. A range is
				  defined as a measure of the distance east or west from a referenced principal
				  meridian, in units of six miles. Ranges run horizontally along the topographic
				  map.
[ZONE]: Locate the site's position within the Universal
				  Transverse Mercator Grid System (UTM) using NAD27 as the datum. Mississippi has
				  two zones (15 and 16). Sites west of the 90- parallel fall within zone 15,
				  while sites east of the 90- parallel fall within zone 16. If a site falls on
				  the line, pick a side to place the UTM point.
For small sites indicate a center point only, for sites over
				  40 acres or linear sites (railroads, trails, etc.), enter multiple UTMs. For
				  sites over 40 acres please include at least four UTMs- two on each end of the
				  longest axis and two on the ends of the shortest axis. For linear sites please
				  include an approximate center point and UTM coordinates for each end of the
				  segment recorded (latter coordinates on back of card).
Click Here
				  To View Image
[EASTING]: This is the UTM coordinate for horizontal
				  location or "x" on a Cartesian grid represented by a six digit number.
[NORTHING]: This is the UTM coordinate for vertical location
				  or "y" on a Cartesian grid represented by a seven digit number.
You may also enter the street and address for historic sites
				  (where applicable) in the comment field.
[OWNERSHIP]:
Which agency owns the land on which the site is located-
				  "Unknown" is strongly discouraged as this information should be a part of your
				  background research. If this is a federal project the land owner should be
				  known, "unknown" will not be accepted for federal projects.
[NAME OF OWNER]:
This is for the name of the land owner(s)
[RECORDER]:
The name of the person who is requesting the site number OR
				  who did the field work.
[DATE]:
When was the site identified- (Please state Month/Day/Year).
				  If this is a revisit card,
when was your field visit-
[NATIONAL REGISTER POTENTIAL]:
This is for the National Register of Historic Places (NRHP)
				  status as based upon the most current assessment/visit. The provided choices
				  are: []Eligible []Ineligible []Unevaluated
3. This status should be determined by the
				Principal Investigator (PI) of the project. Justify the eligibility
				determination. This justification should address all criteria (A-D) of the
				National Register of Historic Places (NRHP). Keep in mind that while most
				archaeological sites are eligible under criterion D, sites can be eligible
				under all criteria (A-D). Sites can also be eligible under multiple criteria.
4. "Potentially Eligible" is
				strongly discouraged.
5. "Unknown"
				is a preferable option if the site's eligibility is not known.
[NATURAL SETTING]:
In what sort of topographic setting does the site occur-
[VEGETATION COVER]:
What is the ground cover at the time of your visit- If you
				  check "other" please specify.
[ESTIMATION OF GROUND COVER]:
How much of the ground is covered (from 0 to 100%)-
[DEGREE OF DISTURBANCE]:
How much disturbance is evident from shovel testing and/or
				  surface exposure observations (from 0 to 100%)
[TYPE OF DISTURBANCE]:
What activities led to the disturbance of the site's
				  deposits- You may list more than one type of disturbance. If you check "other"
				  please specify.
[SOIL TYPE]:
This is for the soil name as listed by the NRCS (formerly
				  the SCS). This is usually found in the NRCS County Soil Survey-now usually
				  available online (
https://websoilsurvey.sc.egov.usda.gov/App/HomePage.htm
)
				  . If no data is available, please list "not available."
[SOIL CODE]:
This blank is to be filled in with the NRCS soil code.
[ARTIFACT DENSITY]:
How would you rate the amount of artifacts recovered at the
				  site-
6. Categories
				include: heavy; medium; light; and single artifact.
7. What constitutes each is admittedly highly
				variable and subjective contingent upon the recorder's understanding;
				therefore, these range categories must be defined in associated reports or if
				not associated with a report, in the comment section.
[INSTITUTION WHERE ARTIFACTS CURATED]:
Where will the artifacts be housed upon completion of
				  survey-
8. Preference is
				for artifacts to be housed in Mississippi.
9. Federal projects require a
				federally-approved curation facility that meets or exceeds requirements set up
				by 36CFR 79 (curation of federally owned and administered archaeological
				collections).
10. Leaving
				collections with the landowner is not preferable but is acceptable only when
				the lead agency requires it.
[SURFACE AREA]:
What is the total surface area of the site in square meters-
11. This is most often
				calculated by multiplying the values of the two perpendicular axes.
[MAX LENGTH]:
What is the N-S or longest axis (if it lies on the diagonal)
				  of the site in meters-
[MAX WIDTH]:
What is the E-W or longest axis (if it lies on the diagonal)
				  of the site in meters-
[ELEVATION]:
What is the site's height above mean sea level in feet-
[DEPOSIT DEPTH]:
What is the greatest depth (in meters) at which artifacts
				  were recovered or observed at the site-
[CHRONOLOGY]:
Based upon the artifacts recovered (meaning diagnostics),
				  what cultural periods/occupations or time periods are represented-
[REPORT REFERENCE]:
This can be used for the report title and/or to list other
				  reports that were referenced when filling out the site card.
[MDAH REPORT NO.]:
This is an internally-generated number assigned to the
				  survey report and will be listed for cross-referencing.
[TOPOGRAPHIC MAP EXCERPT]:
Attach a copy of the 7.5 minute quad with the site location
				  depicted.
12. Make sure the
				location shown on the card is the same shape/orientation as the site
13. Make sure they match the dimensions
				provided
14. 1:24,000 scale is
				required
15. If multiple sites are
				shown on the inset site card map, be sure to clearly indicate which particular
				site the card is referencing
16.
				If using pre-printed blank cards to manually fill-out, please attach map with
				acid free rubber cement or acid free - tape is not acceptable
17. If your UTM point falls outside the area
				shown on the attached map, then the site card will be returned for correction
				before a number will be assigned.
18. Section lines can be used as a guide for
				the area to paste onto the card provided the area fits neatly into the area
				provided on the card AND clearly indicates the site boundaries.
{REVERSE SIDE OF CARD}
[MOUNDS-CONICAL-PYRIMIDAL-INDETERMINATE-EARTHWORKS]: Are
				  there any earthworks present-
19. Which type best describes the earthworks
				that are present?
20. If the type
				is unknown, choose "indeterminate" and use the Comments section to further
				describe the earthworks.
[MATERIAL IDENTIFIED]:
What types/kinds of artifacts were recovered from/documented
				  at the site- Include detailed descriptions and counts.
a. "Lithic Debitage" is not descriptive
				enough. Please describe the material, type of debitage (primary, secondary,
				tertiary, shatter, etc.), retouching, and quantity of each type. For stone
				tools (ground-stone or worked/utilized), please utilize established type names
				(see McGahey's Mississippi Point Guide for reference).
b. Prehistoric ceramics lists should include
				counts by temper and type and variety, if discernable (presence/absence of
				surface treatment should be noted).
c. Historic Ceramics should list (when known)
				paste, glaze/slip, decoration/pattern (transfer print, shell edge, molding,
				etc.), color of glaze/underglaze, vessel form, etc.
d. Historic glass should list (when known)
				manufacture method, color, function, trademarks, decoration, etc.
Example Prehistoric Assemblage
: Material
				  Identified reads as follows: 41 primary tan chert flakes; 10 tan chert flake
				  fragments; 1 Gary, var. Gary point (distal end missing, hinge fracture, red
				  chert); 4 Baytown Plain, var. Unspecified (grog tempered) sherds
Example Historic Assemblage:
6 machine-made cut
				  nails; 12 unidentified manufacture brick fragments (9 grams); 4 fragments (1
				  vessel) Aqua bottle glass, 2 piece mould-blown, glass label; 3 sherds (1 bowl)
				  black transfer-printed whiteware, floral motif.
For Linear Resources
placement of additional
				  coordinate information): Historic road pathway and cut with; essentially dirt
				  roadway that has been utilized as a logging/wellpad access road for most of the
				  mid-to-late 20th and 21st centuries; essentially at grade across the crest of
				  the ridge for its duration with no observable associated features.
*Southern end of segment: 243564E 3439450N
*Northern end of segment: 243884E 3441485N
[COMPONENT-DIAGNOSTIC]
Please list the cultural period on the left and the
				  artifact(s) diagnostic of said periods on the right. These artifacts should
				  also be listed in the material identified area as well.
Example Card:
Reads as follows:
Gary, var. Gary Point - Late Archaic
Baytown Plain - Woodland
Machine-made Cut Nails - Late 1700's-Early 1900's
Black Transfer-print Whiteware - 1785-1864
Aqua Bottle, 2 pc. Mould-blown, Glass Label -- 1750-1880
For Linear Resources
:
Component info: 20th Century. Historic road depicted on
				  historic maps-Marion County Soil Survey Map from 1934; still present on late
				  20th-century USGS quads (1969)
Diagnostic info: There are no other associated features
				  (e.g. drainage ditches, culverts, bridges, etc.). [When associated features
				  exist, such as a bridge, provide locational coordinates for the center of the
				  associated feature in this location]
[COMMENTS]:
This can be used for a brief site description discussing
				  method of identification and overall nature of the type and condition of the
				  resource, means of discovery (surface subsurface, some combination of the two),
				  shovel test counts and intervals, nature and scale of disturbance(s) if
				  present, etc.