Analysis of Prehistoric Artifacts from 2003 Excavations at the George C. Davis Site (41CE19), Cherokee County, Texas

A small sample of artifacts were recovered in 2003 archaeological excavations at the George C. Davis site (Caddoan Mounds State Historic Site) by The University of Texas at Austin. The work was done in conjunction with a large-scale geophysical survey of the site to locate archaeologically significant geophysical anomalies (i.e. Caddo structures, pit features, palisades, burial features, etc.). The excavations in Unit 113, ca. 150 m east of Mound B (Figure 1), were focused on Feature 237, a kind of circular Caddo structure called a “Button House” because of its four support posts around a central hearth feature. The principal kinds of artifacts found in the work include plain and decorated Caddo pottery sherds (40%), lithic debris (27%), and small pieces of what appears to be a glauconitic-rich clay (18%) that are likely not naturally found in the soils at the site. Appendix 1 provides an inventory, by provenience, of the recovered artifacts.