My Take on Sorting Flotation Samples

Hey, it's Rachel here!

Over the past few weeks, our archeological analysis class has been working on sorting artifacts and floatation samples. During our time at Fort St. Joseph, multiple samples were taken for the purpose of learning more about foodways at the site by collecting small pieces of bone and seeds. The soil samples are placed in the floatation machine which uses water and air flow to separate artifacts that float (seeds and other botanicals) from the ones that sink (dense artifacts such as lead shot, glass beads, etc.). After we float the material, we used various sizes of sieves to separate the light and heavy fraction by size. It has been very interesting to see what artifacts are most prevalent within each size.  

Although the floatation process itself only took a single class period, sorting the materials recovered takes much longer. After artifacts are divided into the light and heavy fraction (float vs. sink) and then by their sieve size, the material is further sorted by artifact type. This sorting is a meticulous process and increases in difficulty as the material (and sieve size) gets smaller. However, sorting and inventorying these samples are important because they helps us see the prevalence of certain artifacts at each sample location. So far, the most prevalent artifacts I have sorted are animal bones, structural stones, and charcoal. I have also found small amounts of seeds and lead shot. My favorite artifacts to sort are the animal bones because it is interesting how often you can piece together what specific bone or animal a fragment may have come from, even if you only have a small piece.  

Pictured here is a part of a mandible from a small mammal. Although I am unsure of its exact species, I suspect it may be a small rodent. The fragment still contained four intact teeth! Samples like this can tell us about the animals that lived at Fort St. Joseph and in what quantity. I am looking forward to continuing to sort the floatation samples and seeing how the artifacts vary from heavy to light floatation samples. Sorting these samples will increase our understanding of the environment, the people, and their activities at Fort St. Joseph. 

- Rachel