New Jersey (Jan. 2014) E2 Project Management’s Cultural Resources Division has conducted a five month long field effort including Phase I archaeological surveys, Phase II National Register of Historic Places eligibility evaluations, Phase III archaeological data recovery/mitigation, and archaeological monitoring of construction activities associated with a large multi-state linear construction project in New Jersey and Pennsylvania.
During the extensive excavations that E2PM’s archaeologists have performed, two previously unknown prehistoric Native American archaeological sites were discovered. In addition, project effects to one large National Register of Historic Places eligible prehistoric archaeological site was mitigated through a complete and thorough excavation of all of the artifacts and features (Phase III data recovery/mitigation).
Because E2PM’s archaeologists recovered all of the artifacts (totaling more than 600), documented the soil layers (stratigraphy), and excavated all of the cultural features within the area of the site that will be impacted by construction, the site (artifacts and other data) is “preserved in the documentation” and no longer in the ground allowing construction to continue as designed.
The inset photograph above displays a sample of the more than 600 artifacts that were recovered from the site, which is believed to be a camp site that was frequented by Native Americans seasonally between 6000 and 3000 B.C. A variety of artifacts were recovered including hammerstones, small flakes (the waste fragments resulting from making stone tools), larger flakes that were used as tools (scrapers), generalized bifaces (flaked on both sides) used for cutting or scraping, and specialized bifaces such as projectile points (also known as spear points and arrowheads).
January 2014
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