Paleoethnobotanical Remains from Newtown, Ohio: An Exploration of the Environmental Context of Plant Uses at the Newtown Fire Station Site

Clontz, Katie

Student Work

Paleoethnobotanical Remains from Newtown, Ohio: An Exploration of the Environmental Context of Plant Uses at the Newtown Fire Station Site Open Access Deposited

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Date Uploaded: 04/27/2017
Date Modified: 07/20/2017

This research is focused on botanical remains from the late
Hopewell and Woodland time period, around the 5th century
A.D. from Newtown, Ohio. Many burial graves as well as
artifacts of domestic debris were recovered, including flint,
pottery, bone, numerous fragments of hardwood charcoal,
and some plant species thought to be domesticated. This
research sought to identify all the plant remains excavated
from the Newtown Fire Station archaeological site, uncovered
during the construction of a porch addition to the firehouse.
These remains were identified using an electron microscope
and organized by taxa, weighed, and photographed. After the
remains were examined for identification purposes, they were
studied for environmental context. Among the remains found
were several fruit, nut, crop, and hardwood species. These
preserved and charred remains serve as botanical evidence
for the reconstruction of survival strategies of the past
Newtown inhabitants, as well as diets and other domestic
plant uses.