NYSAA Bulletin No. 52 — Archaic Sites: Croton Point & Dogan Point — Passage 16 (part 3)

[Various (1971)] While there appears to be a gradation in size and depth, a closer examination revealed that there were at least four classes of features using the criteria of size, depth, vertical profile, and contents. Class 1: 15 large (2.0 - 5.0 ft. in diameter) oval or circular features varied from 0.6 ft. to 2.3 ft. in depth and contained both refuse material and fire-cracked rock. Very frequently these features would have the following stratigraphy: (1) fire stained level and (2) dark brown refuse fill and artifacts. It appears that these features were used as refuse containers and, when partially filled, were used as hearths. Viewed in vertical profile, these features had three shapes: (1) bowl shape, 4 features; (2) straight sides with a flat bottom, 9 features; (3) irregular, 1 feature.

These features were probably first used as storage containers (charred kernels of corn and squash seeds were recovered from Feature 8); later for refuse and, finally, as hearths (Features #7, 8, 9, 12, 13, 14, 17, 21, 22, 23, 26, 35, 42, 43, 44). Class 2: There were 6 large oval features with the same diameter as Class 1 but depths of 0.2 ft. to 0.8 ft. These features contained only fire cracked rock. (See Plate III). The soil surrounding two of these features was an orange color from intensive burning. These two had a bowl shape in vertical profile. The remaining 4, which had no