HR: 09:40h
AN: NS31A-05    [Abstracts]
TI: Use of Ground Penetrating Radar and Gradiometry in Identifying Domestic Activity Areas Within the Kolomoki Mounds Archaeological Site, Georgia
AU: * Serman, N
EM: nserman@uga.edu
AF: Geology Department, 220 Field St. (GG Bldg) University of Georgia, Athens, GA 30602 United States
AB: The Kolomoki Mounds archaeological site (9ER1) in southwest Georgia appears to be one of the most important Woodland Period (ca. 1000 B.C. - A.D. 900) centers in southeastern United States. The site originally had at least eight mounds, exquisite ceramics and, seemingly, a year-round occupation. Due to an early archaeological misinterpretation, Kolomoki was, until recently, all but ignored in archaeological research. Consequently, the site and its occupation are not well understood. Today, the site is included in the National Register of Historic Places, and is not available for standard archaeological investigation, that is, extensive excavation. Therefore, non-destructive geophysical exploration provides an ideal means for investigating protected sites, such as Kolomoki, to obtain archaeologically relevant information. I will present the results of the first two geophysical surveys I conducted within the Kolomoki Mounds archaeological site in 2001. These surveys are part of my ongoing geophysical research with the purpose of better understanding intra-site settlement patterns at the Kolomoki Mounds archaeological site. The results of the ground-penetrating radar and gradiometry surveys indicate different activity areas at the site. There is a pronounced difference in appearance and density of anomalies between at least two areas, with one of these areas being a part of the habitation area.
DE: 0900 EXPLORATION GEOPHYSICS
DE: 0910 Data processing
DE: 0925 Magnetic and electrical methods
DE: 0994 Instruments and techniques
SC: Near-Surface Geophysics [NS]
MN: 2005 Joint Assembly