POLLEN, STARCH, AND PROTEIN RESIDUE ANALYSIS OF SAMPLES FROM THE WATER AUTHORITY SITE (36WH1619), WASHINGTON COUNTY, PENNSYLVANIA

The Water Authority Site (36WH1619) reflects a series of small prehistoric camps situated on the T1 terrace of the North Branch of Pigeon Creek south of I-70 in the Waynesburg Hills Section of the Appalachian Plateaus physiographic province, Washington County, Pennsylvania. Rock cluster features and artifacts, including bifacial and cobble/pebble tools, and debitage, likely reflect occupations dating between the Late Archaic through Late Woodland/Late Prehistoric periods. Activities at the site are believed to be associated with obtaining and processing a variety of local resources, such as chert and other stone, plant foods, and game animals (Raber et al. 2014). Sediment samples, feature fill, and groundstone artifacts were submitted for pollen and starch analysis, and lithic tools were tested for protein residues. Analytical results contribute to understanding prehistoric land use and subsistence practices at the site.