Books by Matthew Purtill
A Persistent Place represents a unique approach to disseminating the archaeological results of a ... more A Persistent Place represents a unique approach to disseminating the archaeological results of a long-term cultural resource management project conducted along the Ohio River in southern Adams County, Ohio. This highly descriptive manuscript describes nearly 20 years of archaeological investigations that revealed some 12,000 years of persistent Native American occupation (Paleoindian - Fort Ancient) that took place upon a dynamic, aggrading landscape. Using a siteless landscape approach, A Persistent Place addresses various research topics including landform geomorphic histories and the potential for buried resources along the Ohio River; environmental patterns and cycles; settlement patterning and subsistence strategies; the organization of tool technologies; site layout and organization; and feature construction, maintenance, and cooking techniques; and, the rise of village life in the Ohio Valley. Several unique archaeological discoveries are highlighted including:
• Arguably the best evidence for Middle Archaic (6500-4000 B.C.) occupation found anywhere in the state;
• Evidence for repeated, long-term Late Archaic occupation and intense resource exploitation;
• A rare open-aired, paired-post Early Woodland (700 – 100 B.C.) ceremonial structure;
• An isolated Middle Woodland domestic occupation with a lone burial; and,
• One of the largest Middle-Late Woodland (A.D. 300-600) villages in the region.
Conference Presentations by Matthew Purtill
Student Centered Research in the Applied Anthropology Laboratories 2014-2018, 2018
The AAL conducted Phase I archaeological survey the
proposed construction of a new marina near Sa... more The AAL conducted Phase I archaeological survey the
proposed construction of a new marina near Saugatuck,
Michigan in an area potentially including portions of the
Village of Singapore (20AE619). Singapore represented an
early Michigan lumber and mill town that contained a number of residences, multiple saw mills, a company store, a ‘wildcat’ bank, warehouse, town hall, a cemetery, and a hotel/boarding house. The village was occupied between 1837 and 1896. The investigation included 17.8 acres of GPR, shovel testing, and auger testing yielding hundreds of artifacts and dozens of features. Most historic artifacts and features are interpreted as representing the remains of Singapore. Several areas retained intact and NRHP eligible deposits. We present the results and preservation initiatives that resulted from this project.
All 2016 SEFOP travel will be within the Allegheny Mountain section of the Appalachian Plateaus, ... more All 2016 SEFOP travel will be within the Allegheny Mountain section of the Appalachian Plateaus, also called both the Allegheny Plateau, or the “Open Fold” Section. Two of our vistas on Saturday will encompass portions of the Ridge and Valley subprovince of the Valley and
Ridge physiographic province.
Blackwater Falls State Park lies the within the Stony River syncline, and our Saturday trek will take us across the Blackwater anticline, whose axis lies in Canaan Valley, and as far east as the southeastern limb of the North Potomac syncline along Dolly Sods. The scarp below the Sods may be the most prominent physiographic boundary in the Central
Appalachians, the Allegheny Front. The “Front” is the boundary between the broadly folded rocks of the Allegheny Mountains and more highly folded and faulted sedimentary rocks of the Ridge and Valley subprovince. If the visibility is good, one should be able to pick out High
Knob on Shenandoah Mountain, 60 km to the south-southeast on the Virginia border. If the air is exceptionally clear we may be able to discern Blue Ridge Mountain peaks in Shenandoah National Park, over 90 km to the east.
Our Sunday travel will takes us westward across the Stony River syncline, whose western limb is marked by Backbone Mountain, a feature with similar geology and locally nearly as prominent as the Allegheny Front. The Horseshoe Run watershed drains much of Backbone Mountain and deeply incised Devonian rocks along the Deer Park anticline.
Windblown, or aeolian, sediments blanket portions of high terraces in alluvial valleys and upland... more Windblown, or aeolian, sediments blanket portions of high terraces in alluvial valleys and upland settings throughout the midcontinental U.S. Aeolian sedimentation traditionally is thought to date to the late Pleistocene soon after the Last Glacial Maximum (~21 ka) and largely prior to human occupation of eastern North America. In contrast, recent geochronological research, primarily through optically stimulated luminescence, demonstrates that considerable reactivation or remobilization of aeolian sediments occurred throughout the Holocene often in response to periods of high aridity or wildfire activity. The potential that late Pleistocene or Holocene aeolian sediments blanket currently undocumented archaeological deposits across the landscape has received limited attention. This research provides a preliminary evaluation of the potential that a significant portion of the Indiana and Ohio archaeological record remains obscured by aeolian sedimentation processes. Developing methods to evaluate this potential is essential if we hope to fully document our prehistoric past.
Sandy Springs represents a widely cited, yet poorly understood, Paleoindian archaeological site (... more Sandy Springs represents a widely cited, yet poorly understood, Paleoindian archaeological site (~11.5k – 10k RCYBP) located along the Ohio River in southeastern Adams County, Ohio. Little attention has been given to reconstructing the geomorphic history of the surrounding landscape or to the potential that late Quaternary deposits may preserve undocumented Paleoindian components. Preliminary analysis of LiDAR data illustrates that the landscape includes a series of step-like geomorphic surfaces that likely reflect a chronosequence of alluvial/outwash terraces dating from the Late Pleistocene through Holocene. Upper landforms are characterized further by relict eolian sand dunes of undetermined age that reportedly contain archaeological material. Several surficial saline springs also are known to occur in proximity to dune features. LiDAR and NRCS soils data show that dune features rim an oval-shaped low area measuring 2.5 by 0.5 km. Dune formation is especially distinctive on the south-southwestern rim region where it is ~2.4 linear km in length. Dunes display a mixed morphology that appears to include a star-like dune, a possible compound barchan dune, and a possible climbing dune that extends roughly 18 m in height above the surrounding landscape. To what degree dune morphologies are the result of depositional or erosional processes remains unknown. It is proposed that dunes reflect source bordering features associated with increased eolian sedimentation during periods of reduced vegetation cover. Possible causes of vegetation reduction include periods of increased aridity, wildfires, salinization of local water table, or water table drawdown. Finally, it is likely that periods of increased eolian sedimentation resulted in burial of downwind portions of the Paleoindian archaeological component.
Aeolian landforms in alluvial settings represent a distinct landscape often constructed through a... more Aeolian landforms in alluvial settings represent a distinct landscape often constructed through a complex interplay of Aeolian, lacustrine, fluvial, and glacial processes. Geomorphological interest in such settings has increased in the humid Eastern U.S. where recent work has studied landscape evolution histories to reconstruct past environments. Sandy Springs is a broad, valley-bottom, landscape of the Ohio River near Vanceburg, Kentucky. Sandy Springs contains three geomorphic surfaces (S1–S3) above a modern floodplain (S0). The lowest surface (S1) contains pronounced ridge-and-swale topography. A broad, sloping, mid-level surface (S2) contains low-relief ridge-and-swale topography and a hummocky terrain that represents relict sand dunes. The highest surface (S3) is discontinuous in distribution, gently sloping, and deeply incised. The Kentucky Geological Survey (KGS) has mapped the S2 hummocky terrain and S3 surface as sand- and silt-dominated Aeolian deposits. Ongoing geoarchaeological work at Sandy Springs is generating new geomorphic, stratigraphic, and sedimentological data and provides opportunity to re-evaluate initial KGS interpretations. Key to this re-evaluation is the definition of six informal lithostratigraphic units (Aeolian-sand, Aeolian-silt, Aeolian-colluvium, Ohio River alluvium fine-grained, Ohio River alluvium swale, and tributary alluvium) through field inspection and Principal Components Analysis of particle-size parameters. The following preliminary findings are advanced. First, true Aeolian-derived sand dunes exist in the eastern section of the S2 hummocky area. This includes a compound barchan dune, a sand sheet, a complex linear dune, and a potential climbing dune. Second, sandy deposits on the western end of the S2 surface, initially mapped as Aeolian by KGS, represent a thin (<1 m) sand deposit that mantles a pre-existing alluvial terrace ridge. Sedimentological data also suggest a fluvial origin for most of these sediments, perhaps reflecting a relict levee landform. Evidence for minor Aeolian reworking of eastern S2 sediments was documented. Finally, the S3 surface consists of fluvial overbank, not Aeolian, sediments. A noticeable peak in 4-6 φ range sediments, however, suggests some amount of loess deposition for sections of the S3 surface.
Papers by Matthew Purtill
Seek, and Ye Shall Find: The Rediscovery of Singapore, Michigan, 2024
Singapore, Michigan, was a small nineteenth-century lumber
town situated on the north bank of the... more Singapore, Michigan, was a small nineteenth-century lumber
town situated on the north bank of the Kalamazoo River near
its outlet to Lake Michigan. Nestled within a vegetated coastal
dune field, Singapore enjoyed strong economic success in the
mid-nineteenth century but was entirely abandoned by the turn
of the twentieth century. Prevailing historical legend suggests
that Singapore’s dramatic downfall resulted from excessive
clear-cutting of surrounding forest that destabilized bordering
coastal dunes that then migrated inland, burying the village.
This narrative was further supported by the fact that the precise
location of Singapore remained uncertain within the dynamic
dune system. In 2017–2018, a new construction project afforded
an opportunity to search for Singapore and to determine if
intact archaeological remains persisted. Members of the Applied
Anthropology Laboratories at Ball State University designed a
unique Phase I approach combining traditional survey methods,
consideration of coastal dune dynamics and groundwater
elevations, and extensive ground-penetrating radar survey
to determine the potential presence and depth of associated
archaeological deposits. Results yielded a small number of historic
artifacts and several features believed to date to the nineteenthcentury
Singapore occupation. Despite popular myths about
the village’s location beneath coastal dunes, our work suggests
village placement in a relatively flat, interdunal area between
coastal dunes. Intact archaeological remains are present and
restricted to the upper 0.6 m (2 ft) of eolian deposits. Regional
economic factors, not environmental catastrophe, seem to best
explain the disappearance and abandonment of Singapore.
Journal of Archaeological Method and Theory, Sep 24, 2022
Journal of Archaeological Method and Theory
Earth ovens are a ubiquitous feature of eastern North America, used throughout many cultures and ... more Earth ovens are a ubiquitous feature of eastern North America, used throughout many cultures and periods, leaving a highly visible signature of habitational life. This study focusses on one of the four uniquely outsized earth ovens from the center of a woodhenge at Hopewell Mound Group, the type site of the Hopewell culture. Cleaned of artifacts and fire-cracked rock, this feature required specialized analysis to shed light on its function: macrobotanical methods of seed identification and wood charcoal analysis along with phytolith and soil micromorphological analysis. These analyses create a holistic picture of the earth oven, the woodhenge, and the nature of feasting and ritual at Hopewell Mound Group, along with a snapshot of the paleoenvironment. Results show ritual use of ash wood (Fraxinus sp.), Eastern Agricultural Complex seeds seasonally timed with a summer solstice ritual, and grass leaf phytoliths deposited deeper than the surrounding natural strata. Feasting at this site seems to be focused on feeding large numbers of people, as opposed to a small set of competitive elites.
Geological Society of America Abstracts with Programs
Uploads
Books by Matthew Purtill
• Arguably the best evidence for Middle Archaic (6500-4000 B.C.) occupation found anywhere in the state;
• Evidence for repeated, long-term Late Archaic occupation and intense resource exploitation;
• A rare open-aired, paired-post Early Woodland (700 – 100 B.C.) ceremonial structure;
• An isolated Middle Woodland domestic occupation with a lone burial; and,
• One of the largest Middle-Late Woodland (A.D. 300-600) villages in the region.
Conference Presentations by Matthew Purtill
proposed construction of a new marina near Saugatuck,
Michigan in an area potentially including portions of the
Village of Singapore (20AE619). Singapore represented an
early Michigan lumber and mill town that contained a number of residences, multiple saw mills, a company store, a ‘wildcat’ bank, warehouse, town hall, a cemetery, and a hotel/boarding house. The village was occupied between 1837 and 1896. The investigation included 17.8 acres of GPR, shovel testing, and auger testing yielding hundreds of artifacts and dozens of features. Most historic artifacts and features are interpreted as representing the remains of Singapore. Several areas retained intact and NRHP eligible deposits. We present the results and preservation initiatives that resulted from this project.
Ridge physiographic province.
Blackwater Falls State Park lies the within the Stony River syncline, and our Saturday trek will take us across the Blackwater anticline, whose axis lies in Canaan Valley, and as far east as the southeastern limb of the North Potomac syncline along Dolly Sods. The scarp below the Sods may be the most prominent physiographic boundary in the Central
Appalachians, the Allegheny Front. The “Front” is the boundary between the broadly folded rocks of the Allegheny Mountains and more highly folded and faulted sedimentary rocks of the Ridge and Valley subprovince. If the visibility is good, one should be able to pick out High
Knob on Shenandoah Mountain, 60 km to the south-southeast on the Virginia border. If the air is exceptionally clear we may be able to discern Blue Ridge Mountain peaks in Shenandoah National Park, over 90 km to the east.
Our Sunday travel will takes us westward across the Stony River syncline, whose western limb is marked by Backbone Mountain, a feature with similar geology and locally nearly as prominent as the Allegheny Front. The Horseshoe Run watershed drains much of Backbone Mountain and deeply incised Devonian rocks along the Deer Park anticline.
Papers by Matthew Purtill
town situated on the north bank of the Kalamazoo River near
its outlet to Lake Michigan. Nestled within a vegetated coastal
dune field, Singapore enjoyed strong economic success in the
mid-nineteenth century but was entirely abandoned by the turn
of the twentieth century. Prevailing historical legend suggests
that Singapore’s dramatic downfall resulted from excessive
clear-cutting of surrounding forest that destabilized bordering
coastal dunes that then migrated inland, burying the village.
This narrative was further supported by the fact that the precise
location of Singapore remained uncertain within the dynamic
dune system. In 2017–2018, a new construction project afforded
an opportunity to search for Singapore and to determine if
intact archaeological remains persisted. Members of the Applied
Anthropology Laboratories at Ball State University designed a
unique Phase I approach combining traditional survey methods,
consideration of coastal dune dynamics and groundwater
elevations, and extensive ground-penetrating radar survey
to determine the potential presence and depth of associated
archaeological deposits. Results yielded a small number of historic
artifacts and several features believed to date to the nineteenthcentury
Singapore occupation. Despite popular myths about
the village’s location beneath coastal dunes, our work suggests
village placement in a relatively flat, interdunal area between
coastal dunes. Intact archaeological remains are present and
restricted to the upper 0.6 m (2 ft) of eolian deposits. Regional
economic factors, not environmental catastrophe, seem to best
explain the disappearance and abandonment of Singapore.
• Arguably the best evidence for Middle Archaic (6500-4000 B.C.) occupation found anywhere in the state;
• Evidence for repeated, long-term Late Archaic occupation and intense resource exploitation;
• A rare open-aired, paired-post Early Woodland (700 – 100 B.C.) ceremonial structure;
• An isolated Middle Woodland domestic occupation with a lone burial; and,
• One of the largest Middle-Late Woodland (A.D. 300-600) villages in the region.
proposed construction of a new marina near Saugatuck,
Michigan in an area potentially including portions of the
Village of Singapore (20AE619). Singapore represented an
early Michigan lumber and mill town that contained a number of residences, multiple saw mills, a company store, a ‘wildcat’ bank, warehouse, town hall, a cemetery, and a hotel/boarding house. The village was occupied between 1837 and 1896. The investigation included 17.8 acres of GPR, shovel testing, and auger testing yielding hundreds of artifacts and dozens of features. Most historic artifacts and features are interpreted as representing the remains of Singapore. Several areas retained intact and NRHP eligible deposits. We present the results and preservation initiatives that resulted from this project.
Ridge physiographic province.
Blackwater Falls State Park lies the within the Stony River syncline, and our Saturday trek will take us across the Blackwater anticline, whose axis lies in Canaan Valley, and as far east as the southeastern limb of the North Potomac syncline along Dolly Sods. The scarp below the Sods may be the most prominent physiographic boundary in the Central
Appalachians, the Allegheny Front. The “Front” is the boundary between the broadly folded rocks of the Allegheny Mountains and more highly folded and faulted sedimentary rocks of the Ridge and Valley subprovince. If the visibility is good, one should be able to pick out High
Knob on Shenandoah Mountain, 60 km to the south-southeast on the Virginia border. If the air is exceptionally clear we may be able to discern Blue Ridge Mountain peaks in Shenandoah National Park, over 90 km to the east.
Our Sunday travel will takes us westward across the Stony River syncline, whose western limb is marked by Backbone Mountain, a feature with similar geology and locally nearly as prominent as the Allegheny Front. The Horseshoe Run watershed drains much of Backbone Mountain and deeply incised Devonian rocks along the Deer Park anticline.
town situated on the north bank of the Kalamazoo River near
its outlet to Lake Michigan. Nestled within a vegetated coastal
dune field, Singapore enjoyed strong economic success in the
mid-nineteenth century but was entirely abandoned by the turn
of the twentieth century. Prevailing historical legend suggests
that Singapore’s dramatic downfall resulted from excessive
clear-cutting of surrounding forest that destabilized bordering
coastal dunes that then migrated inland, burying the village.
This narrative was further supported by the fact that the precise
location of Singapore remained uncertain within the dynamic
dune system. In 2017–2018, a new construction project afforded
an opportunity to search for Singapore and to determine if
intact archaeological remains persisted. Members of the Applied
Anthropology Laboratories at Ball State University designed a
unique Phase I approach combining traditional survey methods,
consideration of coastal dune dynamics and groundwater
elevations, and extensive ground-penetrating radar survey
to determine the potential presence and depth of associated
archaeological deposits. Results yielded a small number of historic
artifacts and several features believed to date to the nineteenthcentury
Singapore occupation. Despite popular myths about
the village’s location beneath coastal dunes, our work suggests
village placement in a relatively flat, interdunal area between
coastal dunes. Intact archaeological remains are present and
restricted to the upper 0.6 m (2 ft) of eolian deposits. Regional
economic factors, not environmental catastrophe, seem to best
explain the disappearance and abandonment of Singapore.