Screening Artifacts and Experimenting with an Atlatl

All of the soil excavated from the site is sieved through 1/4” mesh.   This is to ensure that all of the tiny artifacts from the site are recovered.  Soil samples are also collected for water screening through 0.5mm mesh and for flotation analysis.  Water screening and flotation analysis allows for the recovered of tiny seeds, charcoal, micro-flakes and other small items.  This provides a more complete picture of people’s activities in the past, their diet and the kinds of plant and animal resources available to them.  Some of today’s participants enjoyed experimenting with a replica atlatl (or spear thrower).

2004 © Screening - step 1
2004 © Screening - finding from screen
2004 © Screening - step 2
2004 © Screening - step 3
2004 © Atlatl throwing
2004 © Atlatl throwing